Broncos Reshuffle End of Cornerback Corps After Minicamp

The Denver Broncos made a pair of roster moves targeting their secondary following the team's rookie minicamp this past weekend.

Per beat reporter Luca Evans, the Broncos signed cornerback Paul Manning and waived CB William Wright in a corresponding transaction.

An undrafted rookie out of Division II Henderson State, Manning notched 51 total tackles, 16 pass breakups, three interceptions (one pick-six), and two forced fumbles across 32 collegiate appearances, earning second-team All-Great American Conference honors in 2025.

The 6-foot-1, 192-pound corner ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash at his pro day and was invited to Denver's camp on a tryout basis.

The Broncos also signed tryout wide receiver Michael Woods II.

Wright joined Denver as an undrafted free agent following the 2026 NFL Draft.

What This Means

Similar to Woods, Manning showed enough during his workout to warrant a further look. He should compete with the team for the duration of their offseason program, including upcoming Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and a mandatory June minicamp.

But whether Manning is rostered until training camp in late July — let alone into the regular season — is much less assured. And just like Woods, he starts out behind the proverbial eight-ball at a position where Denver was already cramped.

The Broncos' cornerback corps is among the league's best, led by perennial All-Pro Patrick Surtain as well as extension-candidate slot man Ja'Quan McMillian, contract-year CB2 Riley Moss, 2025 first-round pick Jahdae Barron, and ascending third-year pro Kris Abrams-Draine.

But head coach Sean Payton has long prioritized insulation in premium spots, and this qualifies.

“That is the one thing that has helped us so much in the past three seasons is depth at a lot of key areas," Payton told reporters on Saturday. "Especially when you are looking at today’s NFL with [defensive backs] and corners, they are tough to find in the offseason without large compensation. All of that will work its way—sort itself out. We are excited to have that much experience coming back and also the depth coming back.”

Payton added: "There are four things, five things we said, ‘This is how you’re being evaluated.’ ‘A’, does a player know what to do? ‘B’, is the player trying to do what’s being coached? ‘C’, how well are they doing it? Then effort and talent. Obviously you have to be talented, but that’s I think a big challenge for this whole group because they’re behind always every year the group that’s already here. Now, we have a few players from our team that are out here, and it’s good having those guys. I do think you get an early impression of the mental.”

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