5 Veterans the Denver Broncos Must Part with Before 2015 Season

The Denver Broncos are feverishly trying to put together the best roster possible for the 2015 season. The moves they made at the opening of free agency this year weren’t earth-shattering like they were last offseason.

Tuesday was an incredibly busy day across the NFL, but in Denver things were much calmer.

Instead of wild trades that set Twitter ablaze, Denver instead decided to make smaller—but incredibly important—moves to aid their team. They signed linebacker Steven Johnson to a one-year contract in order to help their depth at linebacker. The Broncos also came to three-year agreements with both tight ends Virgil Green and Owen Daniels.

Denver doesn’t have a ton of cap space to be a major player in free agency this year. What they need to do is free up some cap space for big contracts on the horizon.

Sure, they placed the franchise tag on wide receiver Demaryius Thomas but they have until July 15th to reach a new long-term agreement. Yes, linebacker Von Miller signed his fifth-year option but he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2016.

So what can Denver possibly do to create more cap space?

Here are five veterans the Denver Broncos must part ways with before the 2015 season.

Manny Ramirez

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The Broncos are moving to a zone-blocking system under new head coach Gary Kubiak in 2015. The system requires offensive linemen who are laterally agile at the snap of the ball. Offensive linemen in this system don’t need to be big (but it doesn’t hurt if they are), but they need to have nimble feet and the ability to hit a moving target as a blocker at the second level of the defense.

None of that describes Manny Ramirez.

He’s been filling in for some time at a couple of different positions (guard, center), but the truth is Ramirez is not good enough to cost as much as he does. Instead of nimbleness, Ramirez is known as a powerful mauler who can excel in one-on-one blocking. Instead of being a “sticky blocker” at the linebacker level, Ramirez struggles when asked to block his man on the move.

• 2015 Cap Hit: $3.1 million
• Dead Money: $166,668

The move is here if the Broncos want to save around $3 million in salary cap space. Of all the players listed in this article, Ramirez has to be the most-likely cut. He doesn’t fit the system, and there’s not a ton of dead money remaining that would give the team pause when considering a roster that doesn’t include Ramirez.

Andre Caldwell

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Andre Caldwell can only do so much. At this point in his career, it’s easy to assume we’ve seen the best from Caldwell—and it hasn’t come during his time in Denver.

This veteran receiver might have peaked in 2009 with the Cincinnati Bengals when he snared 51 passes. That was a lifetime ago in NFL terms, and Caldwell has done little to show that player still exists as a member of the Broncos.

In Peyton Manning’s record-setting season of 2013, the best Caldwell could muster was 16 catches for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Last year, he all but disappeared and finished with a paltry five catches for 47 yards and zero touchdowns. Caldwell just doesn’t make much of an impact on the field, and the Broncos have an option to move on without paying him a ton in dead money.

• 2015 Cap Number: $1.55 million
• Dead Money: $200,000

Caldwell might cost too much, even though his price tag is low compared to other receivers on the roster. When given a larger opportunity as a receiver, Caldwell has failed to consistently impress. Yes, he’s fast in a straight line but Caldwell is not overly explosive in and out of his breaks. As a return man, better options other than Caldwell could be found. Keeping Caldwell on the roster would also keep young talent like Bennie Fowler down—Denver should move on.

Britton Colquitt

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The Broncos' punter isn’t performing up to the levels of his current contract. Yes, Britton Colquitt might have had a bad season in 2014—but are his numbers an indication of a continued slide?

In 2014, Colquitt’s net punt yardage of 3,048 (24th), long punt of 65 yards (21st), number of punt touchbacks (22nd) and yards per punt of 44.17 (26th) all rank near the bottom of the league. Simply put, these numbers are too low for a player with such a high price tag.

When looking at the top average annual salaries for punters in the league, Britton Colquitt sits at the top at over $3.8 million. Denver is not getting the proper return on investment given Colquitt’s play last season.

• 2015 Cap Hit: $3.75 million
• Dead Money: $1.5 million

The Broncos need to watch every penny they spend in 2015. Some people may not think of Colquitt as a player who isn’t playing up to his contract. When looking at his stats from last year, it’s clear to see he could be a somewhat surprise cut if the Broncos feel they can find a better value at punter elsewhere.

Chris Clark

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There was a time when Chris Clark was considered a valuable asset for the Denver Broncos. He was a swing tackle who could be relied on in emergency situations.

That emergency came to be in Week 2 of the 2013 season when left tackle Ryan Clady was lost for the season with a foot injury. Clark came into the starting lineup, and in most games he held his own protecting Peyton Manning during a record-setting season.

Last year, Clark was pegged to be the team’s starting right tackle. Their previous right tackle Orlando Franklin was moved inside to guard, and Clark was handed a starting job outside. Instead of flourishing on the right side, Clark struggled and was replaced.

Clark is athletic enough to play in the zone-blocking system that will be employed by new head coach Gary Kubiak. However, the team has other options it can use as backup tackles and swing tackles on the roster. With a low amount of dead money, we could see Clark released before the start of the season if he doesn’t impress in camp.

• 2015 Cap Hit: $1.6 million
• Dead Money: $225,666

Clark is unlikely to be released because of his ability as a swing tackle. It could be tempting for the team to move on from Clark if other players like second-year pro Michael Schofield impress in training camp.

Quanterus Smith

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The Broncos took a chance on Quanterus Smith in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft, but things haven’t worked out. Coming off a knee injury during his final season at Western Kentucky, Smith attracted interest from the Broncos because he had an NCAA-leading 12.5 sacks at the time of the injury.

The Broncos watched Smith closely during his rookie training camp, but they decided it was best to shut him down for the season to see if he could regain his explosiveness as he still recovered from the knee injury.

In 2014, Smith did show better explosiveness and change-of-direction ability on the field. What he didn’t show was any ability to actually make plays. He played in 14 games and only compiled seven tackles.

Smith did not play in the Divisional Round playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts as he suffered a knee injury—to the same knee he injured in college. He was put on Injured Reserve to end his season, and now his future in the NFL is cloudy.

Injuries aside, Smith may not be a good fit for a 3-4 outside linebacker.

• 2015 Cap Hit: $633,000
• Dead Money: $96,000

The Broncos have a lot of young, unproven players on the roster and Smith is one of those guys. He’ll have to stay healthy and come out firing during minicamp to prove  he belongs on the 53-man roster in 2015.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions. Draft grades provided by NFLDraftScout.com.