The Denver Broncos have had their share of players come and go. Well, these former players are kind of floundering in the 2024 season. In hindsight, it’s probably a good thing that the Denver Broncos let certain players leave. This team has turned over into a new era, and some of their best players are younger guys and low-cost additions.
Denver did have a few notable names depart last offseason, and these four players, including long-time safety Justin Simmons, have kind of floundered this season.
Justin Simmons and 3 former Broncos who have floundered in 2024
Mike Purcell, DT, Not on a team
Mike Purcell signed with the New England Patriots this past offseason and was cut in late August. He has not been on a team since, and his time in the NFL may be over. It was odd that the Broncos had kept him for as long as he did, as he was not a viable player over those last couple of seasons.
Purcell had a nice stretch of play back in 2019, but that was about it for his notable time with the Denver Broncos.
Josey Jewell, ILB, Carolina Panthers
Josey Jewell, after the 2023 season is over, will still have never experienced a winning season in the NFL. After playing in Denver from 2018-2023, he signed with the Carolina Panthers, and it’s been a rough go for Jewell. The Denver Broncos lost Alex Singleton to a torn ACL earlier in the season, but have since gotten some great play from Cody Barton and Justin Strnad, who have made us forget all about Jewell.
They have also seen guys like Kwon Alexander and Zach Cunningham step up as well. It’s clear that Denver really did not need to retain Jewell, and he is just in a tough spot being on one of the worst teams in the entire NFL.
Jerry Jeudy, WR, Cleveland Browns
Jerry Jeudy never developed into the player that we had hoped, and the Broncos trade him for a pair of late-round picks to the Cleveland Browns. The Browns extended Jeudy, and since then, he has had the typical season he has had during his time with the Denver Broncos.
He is not a 1,000-yard receiver and had the misfortune of catching passes from Deshaun Watson for a while. He is now catching passes from Jameis Winston, who will at least take shots down the field. It’s hard to feel for Jeudy, honestly, as it felt like he was the sole reason for his own lack of success.
And guys like Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele emerging should make us glad that the Denver Broncos did not keep Jerry Jeudy, especially for that pricetag.
Justin Simmons, S, Atlanta Falcons
Justin Simmons was a roster cut by the Denver Broncos this past offseason and was a free agent late into the offseason. He signed with the Atlanta Falcons on a one-year deal, and not only have the Falcons lost two games in a row, but Simmons’ return to Denver ended up being an embarrassing loss for his unit.
The Falcons got torched for five total touchdowns, and four of them were through the air. It’s actually hilarious to me that the second Simmons was no longer on the team, Denver found their franchise QB and are a better team than when he went to. Everyone assumed that Simmons was going to sign with a contender, but the Falcons feel pretty soft.
