This has Broncos fans CONFUSED...

This has Broncos fans confused. So a move was made today that has a lot of fans, pundits, media like scratching their heads a little bit, including myself. I was really hyped about this news about a week ago, less than a week ago, and all of a sudden it's been kind of reversed in a lot of ways. So we're gonna be breaking down what this means for the roster and how we're gonna be moving forward and you know just why this happened in general. I'm Sebastian at Broncos Digest, welcome back everybody. Lovely to see everyone in a way, you know, through your computer screen, but we'll be talking about a lot of like what this means for the defense, how kind of it's emblematic of how the team operates, and where we go from here. So make sure to subscribe. We are going for 3,000 subscribers by the time the regular season rolls around. That means so, so much if you could help us get to that by then. You know, we have less than three weeks to go from Monday Night Football, but I believe we can do it, so let's do it. But with that being said, let's just kind of jump right into this. So the news is Taylor Rapp, the guy, the backup safety that I was like, well, he has been a starting safety for the Bills and the Rams. He was going to be our backup safety, our premier backup safety, has been released by the Broncos. Everyone's like, what happened? Like what? We just like signed this guy last Thursday, and all of a sudden now we're like letting him go. What happened? We're signing, you know, a defensive tackle who had some playing time with the Jags for a year, but mostly doing like CFL, UFL type of stuff, and another offensive tackle after releasing the wide receiver Kyrie Duplesis. So, you know, it's a little, obviously the biggest thing here being Rapp being released. Everyone's like, okay, there has to be more to this. You know, like he only practiced once. There was no news about like, you know, anything that, you know, flared up or whether there was injury, lack of communication between him and the coaches, or like just, you know, any bad vibes. So everyone's kind of like, okay, so what happened here? Like what's, what's the deal? It had to be like a lingering injury or something else, and we will get into the reasons why Sean Payton did explain later on. So at least we got, you know, some clarification after that. But I mean, it's, it's worth noting, like before any of this happened, after we signed him, Sean was very high on Taylor. He said, like, he's a veteran player that we all liked, had a good, had good grades on, and just more talent at that position, at safety. It was really more, it wasn't like us pounding the table, that we needed a safety. It was this, this player's available, and let's work him out and sign him if it's, if it's possible. So I'm glad he's here. We've had experience playing against him. He has a really good football instincts and awareness that serves you well at that position. So I think it was more availability than necessity, if that makes sense. So that was, that was what Payton said. And then Vance Joseph was talking about, you know, just the fact that he's very smart. He's been on, on great defenses. He says, I think Payton, and, well, both Sean Payton and George Payton, that they did a great job acquiring veterans that have been a part of great cultures and winning defenses and winning teams. He is that exactly. He fits right in. He's smart. He can make plays on the ball. He can cover, he can blitz. He's tough. So that, you know, he's that, my kind of guy. He's my kind of player. That was before releasing him. So everyone's like, okay, very high praise from the defensive coordinator who, you know, we all know will be working with him very closely and the head coach. So it's like, where's the miscommunication? Like we have given a lot more leeway, a much, you know, shorter leash to players who have like way less experience and starting experience. So something else must be going on. And, you know, obviously it was. So the news was that Taylor Rapp has personal issues, things going on, you know, in his personal life. It's not an injury related thing. Just the timing wasn't correct. That's how Mike Clyde's news, you know, brought it up. And John Heath from Broncos Wire said, you know, I wonder if this is a procedural move for Rapp to bring him back after the roster cuts, roster cut dust settles. Peyton and Joseph are both full of praise for Rapp. So it seems like a procedural thing rather than an injury. And I, you know, I had the same, you know, thought where it's like, okay, this might be a strategic thing where it's like they brought him in, they liked what they saw and they're like, okay, now we're going to release you. So, I mean, you can deal with things at home, whatever that is, you know, if you're not able to stay with the team at this moment, but we'll bring you back later on when that it makes sense for both sides, for us and for you. So it seems like there is almost like a collective agreement there. And Sean Peyton confirmed that at his presser after practice, where he was like, yeah, he's dealing with personal issues and needs time to deal with them, you know, on his own. And he even admitted, Sean Peyton admitted himself that there's a better chance than not that he re-signed with the Broncos. So it's like, listen, this is like, I'm not going to pretend that, oh, this is the end of the road for both of us. Like, this is very much a possibility that we just, you know, figure it out later on. Like right now, he has to deal with some stuff where it's very early on in the season. We're still in the off season, technically we're doing preseason games. So it's like, he can work that stuff out. He has time. Let's like figure out what we've got going on on our end. And we'll revisit this later. So it's not something to panic about by any means. And regarding just like how everyone feels about Rapp and like what he can still provide, Scottie Payton from Mile High reports that during his seven seasons in the NFL, Taylor Rapp has appeared in 93 games and started 72 of them. Last season, he appeared in six games for the Bills before a knee injury ended his season and he was placed on the injured reserve. Throughout his career, Rapp has totaled 488 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, two sacks, 12 interceptions, 31 passes deflected, and two forced fumbles. No timetable was given on when Rapp is expected to re-sign with the team. So it'll be interesting to see how his pending return impacts their 53-man roster construction this coming weekend. So it's like, you know, roster cuts are coming up. I'm assuming now, I mean, this opens up a spot for, you know, a safety that we feel maybe performs the best in our last preseason game, you know, on Friday. So that's, again, a position of, you know, great importance for the Broncos in terms of depth. And we'll be paying attention to see who, you know, if anyone's able to make plays and play particularly well. So, because they are literally now fighting for a spot to kind of hold for Rapp when he, you know, is ready to come back essentially. And so John Heath, he went on to say Rapp practiced Monday, did not practice Tuesday, and was officially cut on Wednesday. Despite small in-person sample size, the Broncos know what the safety can add to a defense. The Broncos have made it clear they like Rapp, and Payton indicated the safety was happy with the team as well. So once his personal situation is resolved, Rapp will likely return to Denver's roster. So all this to say, we're okay. It's fine. It's fine. I just, we all like to clarify what's going on. Taylor Rapp, like, I'm a huge fan of his, just, you know, what he was doing on the Bills. I feel like he was always making plays whenever I'd be watching him versus the Chiefs or just in big games in general. So, and he wouldn't even be a starter on our team, which is kind of crazy to think. And so that's why I was like, oh man, he got cut. Like, what happened? Like, he must have been like an injury or something. No, just personal reasons. And I hope, you know, just for his sake, his family's sake or whatever it is that they get resolved in a nice, you know, way that, you know, an orderly way and everything's okay. But, you know, Sean didn't seem to have any ill will towards him. It seemed like it was just, again, a procedural move, a business move, something that Taylor was probably on board with days before we even knew this was happening. And, you know, it just ended up being like, okay, they brought him in. They had a talk where it's like, okay, it sounds like you're a bit distracted. Like, are things going on? He, you know, kind of talks about like, okay, yeah. Like maybe there are some things going on right now that I need to handle before I can focus everything on football. Because that's the thing with a lot of veterans, they understand the necessity of being all football. Like, especially when the seasons are like, you know, coming around. When you're in like mid-August, kind of getting towards September, you don't have like the, you know, the luxury of dealing with, you know, personal issues in a way that's healthy, I would say. So he probably admitted, like, Sean, the whole, you know, team, our culture, we're very like, okay, take care of you. We have time right now. Take care of what you needed to take care of. And we'll bring you back when like that's all, you know, like hopefully figured out. So I love it. I honestly like, you know, I couldn't be happier about just how everyone's handling these things. No drama, no, you know, crap. It's just a matter of like, okay, just like, let's respect each other's sides of the things. Let's do what we got to do. And we'll reconvene hopefully soon, maybe in a month or two, and figure this out. So we'll wait for Rapp's return. I imagine that is an inevitable decision where he will be brought back onto the team. But what do you guys think about this? Am I underplaying, you know, oh, he's going to get cut, he's not going to come back? Or, you know, are you agreeing with just the analysis that most people are giving that it's like, this is just something that, you know, needs to be done on Rapp's side, and then he'll come back the team. So, but yeah, shout in the comments down below. And until next video, I will see you then.