We knew there were going to be some tough offseason decisions for the Denver Broncos, considering they were projected to be over the cap going into the 2024 league year and that they would have less cash available after cutting ties with quarterback Russell Wilson.

But then came what may have been the most painful cut of all, as the Broncos parted ways with safety Justin Simmons to save $14.5 million in cap space and cash. Back in 2022, when things weren’t going well for the Broncos, some wondered why Simmons wasn’t traded at midseason.

My argument then was that Simmons had been extended only a year ago by GM George Paton, and he wasn’t going to be that quick to part ways with the Pro Bowl safety.

However, we’re no longer in 2022, and things have changed. First, the Broncos got a new head coach—Sean Payton. Second, Simmons’ guaranteed money ran out. Third, he entered the final year of his contract.

Some may have wondered why Simmons wasn’t traded during the 2023 season. That’s a fair point, but the Broncos may have talked themselves into the idea that they had a shot at the playoffs after winning back-to-back games going into the bye week.

But then came the 2024 offseason, in which a number of teams parted ways with their veteran safeties for one reason or another. As a result, the trade market that may have been there in the 2023 midseason was gone.

My thinking going into the offseason was that it was best to keep Simmons but not extend him. I believed that, while Simmons could contribute in 2024, it would likely be his last season with the team.

Instead, the Broncos are moving on a year sooner. Regardless of the team’s logic, one thing is clear with Simmons’s release: A rebuild is coming.

With Simmons’ departure, the Broncos now have a big hole in the secondary. Between his release and P.J. Locke being an unrestricted free agent, safety has become a major need. The Broncos can’t rely on Caden Sterns and Delarrin Turner-Yell, both of whom are coming off significant injuries.

Add to this the fact that the Broncos have holes to fill on the defensive line (and that could increase with the likelihood that defensive tackle D.J. Jones will be cut) and need more help at edge rusher and off-ball linebacker. The Broncos defense will look a lot different than it did in 2023.

The holes could become bigger if the Broncos decide to part ways with other players. Left tackle Garett Bolles and wide receiver Courtland Sutton have been mentioned as players who might be gone, given that they have no guaranteed money left in their deals and that the Broncos might want to get younger.

If the Broncos are indeed going for a rebuild, though, they need to be serious about it. That means the team can’t toy around with the idea but needs to take more steps. It means parting ways with older veterans or players who weren’t drafted or signed when Payton was at Dove Valley.

Clearly, this is going to be Payton’s team, not Paton’s team. And we’ve already witnessed the Broncos’ willingness to deal with the pain through the upcoming Wilson release and the original plan to cut Randy Gregory (that eventually became a trade to San Francisco), despite owing $12M for the 2023 season.

Thus, the Broncos may be willing to deal with more pain if they are set on fulfilling Payton’s vision for the team. That may not just mean drafting a quarterback in the first round but possibly trading down to get more picks, drafting multiple younger players and adding a QB in the later rounds to develop.

The one thing that does have to happen, though, is the Broncos need to demonstrate that this is a rebuild if that’s the path they wish to take. They can’t keep doing the “kind of sort of” rebuild approach they’ve taken in years past under previous regime iterations.

If the Broncos want a rebuild, expect more cuts and trades. The Wilson move was expected, and the Simmons one might not have been expected, but if this is a rebuild, then the moves have only just begun.