Intuitive reaction: The Denver Broncos gave up five players

Borghi is an undrafted rookie and former local prep school star. The Broncos signed him last week after Damarea Crockett suffered a torn ACL and Melvin Gordon was dealing with a foot injury that kept him out of practice.

reaction: As cool as it was to see Borghi follow in the historic footsteps of another Colorado star who succeeded in Denver, the chances of him replicating Philip Lindsey’s early success with the Broncos were always slim. The Broncos needed a body to keep things moving in practice, and Borghi’s five touches for nine total yards in preseason Game 1 weren’t enough to justify moving him past Tuesday’s deadline.

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Signed as a college free agent out of Missouri State, Davis arrived in Denver on the heels of the draft to bolster an already powerhouse wide receiver.

reaction: This cut, alas, isn’t surprising, as Davis hasn’t been able to keep up with some of the other young wide receivers who have worked their way up Denver’s depth chart this summer. Here’s to hoping he lands on his feet.

Signed to a futures/reserve contract in January, Fulgham arrived in Denver with little NFL experience. He bounced around with three different clubs in 2021.

reaction: Fulgham’s story reflects Davies; he didn’t do enough to keep up with the up-and-coming wide receiver offense this summer. Even with Tim Patrick’s season-ending injury midway through training camp, Fulgham was able to tread water as receivers like Montrell Washington, Brandon Johnson, Seth Williams and Kendall Hinton rose to the occasion.

A fifth-round pick last year, Johnson was among GM George Paton’s first draft class. A lackluster rookie season didn’t do him any favors, and despite leading the Broncos in tackles in preseason Game 1, Johnson failed to show the type of physicality and dependability in tackles the coaches demanded of him.

reaction: Johnson was known as a hawk at Indiana, but what he brought to the table in coverage and as a football predator was overshadowed by his woeful acumen. While Johnson’s recruiting classmate, Caden Stearns, earned a defensive role as a rookie, becoming Denver’s No. 3 safety, Johnson disappeared.

Meanwhile, the Broncos brought in safeties last offseason in the form of former LA Ram JR Reed and fifth-round pick Delaryn Turner-Yale. Adding insult to injury, a holdover from the Vic Fangio regime — P.J. Locke — flipped, earning the trust of the new coaching staff in Denver. Have a good trip, Johnson.

The small-school tight end didn’t hear his name called on draft day, but the Broncos signed him as a college free agent. Williams has joined a logjam in Denver’s tight end depth.

reaction: Williams always swam against the grain. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say that tight end is a strength of the lineup, the Broncos have invested in multiple players not named Williams this year — including re-signing veterans Andrew Beck and Eric Sober, as well as free-agent acquisition Eric Tomlinson.

Not to mention the third round investment in Greg Dulcich. Add to that equation Albert Okwegbunam and another undrafted rookie, Dylan Parham, and Williams just didn’t have a big enough seat at the table to shine for the Broncos’ new coaches.