Broncos bring back Cherry Creek standout, release QB Jarrett Guarantano

The Broncos announced three roster moves on Tuesday:

• They signed kicker Brett Maher and wide receiver Nick Williams.
• They released quarterback Jarrett Guarantano.

Following Eyioma Uwazurike’s suspension on Monday, the Broncos had one open spot on their 90-man roster. After the three moves on Tuesday, their roster is full.

---

Nick Williams, 23, is now in his second stint with the Broncos.

The Cherry Creek grad initially signed with the Broncos one early June but was released a few weeks later. The Broncos now have 13 receivers on their roster. They’ll likely carry six or seven into the regular season on the active roster and a couple more on the practice squad.

Here’s what we wrote about Williams when he initially signed with the Broncos in early June…

Williams fits a similar mold as two receivers Sean Payton brought to Denver from New Orleans: Marquez Callaway and Lil’Jordan Humphrey. He’s a big-bodied pass catcher whose athleticism leaves something to be desired.

At his Pro Day, Williams measured in at 6-foot-3 and 204 pounds. His 40-yard dash (4.69 seconds) would have tied for the worst of any receiver at the NFL Combine. His vertical (32 inches) and his broad jump (9’11”) would have put him in the bottom three.

But there’s a silver lining: Williams shined in the change of direction drills. He ran the 20-yard shuttle in 4.20 seconds, which would have been fifth-best at the combine. His 6.64 3-cone time would’ve placed him second behind only Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the first receiver chosen in April’s draft.

What do you do with a big receiver who can change direction but doesn’t have top-end speed? Put him in the slot. Last season, Williams played 77% of his snaps and produced 71% of his receiving yards from the slot, according to Pro Football Focus.

Williams, a Cherry Creek grad, spent five seasons at Division II CSU-Pueblo. In his final two seasons with the ThunderWolves, he produced 1,278 yards and seven touchdowns. He transferred to UNLV for his final season of eligibility and carved out a larger role as the season progressed. He finished with 438 yards and two touchdowns on 28 catches.

The odds are against Williams making the roster—his path probably starts with beating out Humphrey and Callaway for the depth “big receiver” job—but he could have a chance of making the practice squad. He’d have to beat out Taylor Grimes, another undrafted slot receiver.

---

The Broncos officially have a kicker competition.

The team announced the signing of Brett Maher on Tuesday, a few days after news broke that the two sides had agreed to terms. Maher, 33, has four seasons of NFL experience.

Head coach Sean Payton said this offseason that he planned to bring in several kickers during offseason workouts and training camp before choosing a kicker to ride into the season.

Maher tried out for the Broncos in May alongside Parker White, 24, and Elliott Fry, 28. Fry was later signed to a contract. Randy Bullock also participated in multiple offseason practices with the Broncos as a veteran tryout but didn’t earn a contract.

The kicker carousel was set off when the Broncos released Brandon McManus, 31, the final remaining member of the Super Bowl 50 champions, to still play for the team. The Broncos saved $3.75 million in cap space by pulling the trigger. If he makes the roster, Fry will take up $750,000 in cap space, leaving $3 million in savings. Maher’s contract details have not been reported.

Maher has made 81% of his 116 NFL field goal attempts but is best known for missing five of his six extra-point attempts in the playoffs while playing for Dallas last season.

Maher kicked for New Orleans in 2021, Payton’s final season as the Saints’ head coach. He appeared in eight games and made 16 of 18 attempts, with a long of 42 yards. He’s hit a 60-yard field goal in his three other NFL seasons.

---

In May, the Broncos signed quarterback Ben DiNucci, 26, after he led the XFL with 2,671 passing touchdowns, which provided Jarret Guarantano, 25, with competition. Neither quarterback was likely to make the roster—the Broncos gave a two-year, $10 million contract to Jarrett Stidham in March to be their backup—but the practice squad quarterback job was wide open.

The NFL also created a rule this offseason that allows teams to activate a third quarterback on game days without counting him against the 46-man limit. Whether or not the Broncos carry a third quarterback on the active roster to take advantage of this rule is still to be determined.

Apparently, DiNucci won the competition.

Guarantano initially joined the Broncos’ practice squad in December as a rookie. He had previously spent time on Arizona’s practice squad. He didn’t take a regular-season snap, but he posted 232 passing yards on 17-of-30 attempts with three touchdowns and no interceptions with the Cardinals in the preseason.

Guarantano started 38 games at Tennessee. He completed 61 percent of his passes for 6,174 yards, 38 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He transferred to Washington State for his senior year and started two games but lost the job to Jayden de Laura, who earned All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors.