The Broncos kick off a three-day voluntary minicamp on Tuesday and they will reportedly be getting to work without defensive end Quanterus Smith.
It’s not because Smith is opting to work out on his own, as is often the case when players choose not to take part in voluntary work with their teams. Troy Renck of the Denver Post reported that the team waived Smith, who was a fifth-round pick in 2013, on Tuesday and the Broncos announced it a short time later.
Smith played in 15 games as a backup to DeMarcus Ware last season, recording 11 tackles and two passes defensed before winding up on injured reserve with a knee injury that kept him from playing in Denver’s playoff loss to the Colts. He also spent 2013 on injured reserve while recovering from an ACL injury suffered during his final collegiate season.
The shift in defenses that accompanied Wade Phillips’s arrival as defensive coordinator may have left Smith without a good fit on the Denver defense in 2015, but it’s never a great sign for your immediate NFL future when a team decides to move on at a moment when they have 90 roster spots to fill.