Last month, the Broncos dumped running back Willis McGahee. They opted to keep running back Knowshon Moreno.
So why would the Broncos cut a former first-round pick who has had a very solid career and keep another first-round pick whose NFL tenure has been mediocre, at best?
According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, Moreno costs $800,000 less in 2013 base salary. Also, Moreno is better suited, both in skills and temperament, to being a third-down back and, more generally, a complement to Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Moreno definitely will have a Week One roster spot. Since he now has four years of service, his $1.7 million base salary becomes essentially guaranteed if he isn’t cut before the regular-season opener against the Ravens.