Broncos to move on from safety

Caden Sterns was set to play out the 2024 season as a pending free agent for the Broncos. The fourth-year safety will instead need to find a new home in the coming weeks.

Sterns has been informed by the Broncos of their intention of waiving him, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The 24-year-old will hit the wire once that move officially takes place. If he goes unclaimed, Sterns will be free to sign with an interested team. A trade will first be sought out, per Mike Klis of 9News. If a partner on that front cannot be found, Sterns will be let go.

The former fifth-rounder has shown potential when on the field, particularly during his rookie season. Sterns totaled a pair of interceptions and five pass deflections in 2021. He nearly matched both of those figures the following year, but he did so in only five games played. Availability has been an issue for Sterns. He suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1 of the 2023 campaign.

The Texas alum began training camp on the active/PUP list, but he was cleared to return to practice in late July. Today’s news is not an encouraging sign with respect to Stern’s health at the moment. As a result, he may find himself on the market for a stretch as teams consider adding him prior to roster cutdowns. If he does land with a new squad in the relatively near future, however, the Broncos’ turnover at the safety position this offseason will continue.

Denver moved on from Justin Simmons in the spring, and the NFL’s interceptions leader since 2016 has still yet to sign with a new team. The Broncos also released Kareem Jackson late in the 2023 campaign after his second suspension of the season. Jackson recently signed with the Bills in an attempt to continue his career. Now that Sterns will not be in the fold, a number of new faces will be counted on for the 2024 season.

The Broncos added Brandon Jones in free agency, and the team re-signed P.J. Locke. Those two are set operate as starters this season, but the absence of Sterns will lead to questions about depth behind them. Barring an addition, Denver will rely on the likes of J.L. Skinner and Delarrin Turner-Yell as special teams contributors counted on to take on defensive snaps in the event of injury to Jones and/or Locke. The Broncos have roughly $7.7M in cap space, so a modest safety investment to replace Sterns would be feasible.