The Denver Broncos will have some difficult choices to make as they knock their roster down from 90 players to 53. One of the most difficult, despite many seeing it coming, was that of the future status of Damarri Mathis.
On Tuesday, the team waived Mathis.
The Broncos selected Mathis in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Pittsburgh. He got off to a solid start with the team, cracking the starting lineup as a rookie and providing much hope for the future. But when the team hired Sean Payton as head coach, he brought Vance Joseph in as the defensive coordinator and Mathis never seemed to fit what Joseph likes to do. He was benched midway through the 2023 season in favor of Fabian Moreau.
The hope was that Mathis would be able to recover from that setback and come back strong in 2024. But he was handily beaten out for a starting spot in 2024 and with the addition of first-round pick Jahdae Barron this year, there is just too much depth in front of him.
CB Damarri Mathis has been waived by the Broncos, per @mikeklis9news
— SleeperBroncos (@SleeperBroncos) August 25, 2025
He started his rookie year (2022) & has not developed into the corner we all thought he was going to be
The CB room is stacked & he is the odd man out. Wouldn't be surprised if someone (Dolphins) claims him pic.twitter.com/hhalJBCjDn
Mathis played in 43 games for the Broncos and posted 103 total tackles and nine pass breakups. He has yet to intercept a pass in his three-year career.
The Broncos could bring Mathis back as a member of the 16-player practice squad if he clears waivers, but a 26-year-old cornerback with starting experience is a player that many teams will covet and he will almost certainly be scooped up by another team, getting a chance for a fresh start somewhere else.
READ: Broncos release two running backs, including 2024 draft pick
The Broncos have a great top four at cornerback in Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss, Barron and Ja'Quan McMillian. Kris Abrams-Draine, a fifth-round pick last year, showed enough progress this summer to help the Broncos make this decision.
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