In somewhat of a surprising move, the Denver Broncos released would-be starting safety T.J. Ward on Saturday prior to the 4 p.m. ET deadline to get rosters down to 53 men.
Troy Renck of Denver 7 spoke to Ward, who confirmed his release. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network first reported the move.
On Tuesday, Rapoport first reported the team was interested in trading the veteran, while Mike Klis of KUSA noted Denver could release him if it didn't have any offers on the table.
Ward's former teammate Shaquil Barrett expressed his shock on his Twitter account after the news:
Linebacker Von Miller didn't agree with the plan, saying, "That's fake news.