The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. For locals, by locals. Sign up today!
After the most tumultuous offseason for the Denver Broncos since at least the early 1980s, it’s finally time to start the week focusing on some real football—and games that will count. The preseason is over, and the team had to trim its roster to the league-mandated 53 players.
The Denver Post lists all the players who made the final cut, and there are some intriguing storylines. Running back Darius Walker was cut after an impressive preseason effort, and running back LaMont Jordan (pictured) remains despite a lackluster showing this summer.
Outside linebacker Tim Crowder was sent packing, and I clearly remember former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan using a first-round pick on him in 2007. Other guys who didn’t make the team include Colorado-bred offensive lineman Matt McChesney, who I wrote about in June.
Another surprise was Nebraska star wideout Nate Swift’s failure to make even the practice squad, which is a shock; his name goes a long way in the football-crazed lands of Nebraska. The Broncos may live to regret that move. Rookie tight end Richard Quinn made the team and celebrated his new, well-paying job by landing in an Arapahoe County jail.
Quinn was arrested Monday after an argument with his girlfriend, resulting in an “obstruction of telephone service harassment charge,” writes The Denver Post. Not a good move, but he wasn’t the only AFC West player arrested for domestic violence this Labor Day weekend.
San Diego Chargers star linebacker Shawne Merriman was also arrested for allegedly choking, restraining, and throwing MTV star Tila Tequila to the ground as she tried to leave his home (via The San Diego Union-Tribune).