The Denver Broncos have shaken things up at the top after firing Vance Joseph and most of his staff bringing in Vic Fangio as the new head coach. These changes could also signal a changing of the guard of sorts on the personnel side of things as well. When looking for potential salary cap casualties Youth Emmanuel Sanders Jersey , one must look at cap implications, age and production of the player, and depth of the position. My focus on this post will be looking at players who are in the Top 10 in cap number against the team, but there will obviously be cap casualties all on down the list. These are just where the numbers will matter the most.Broncos Top 10 Salary CapPlayerCap NumberDead MoneyCap SavingsPlayerCap NumberDead MoneyCap Savings(via OverTheCap.com) Of those among the Top 10 in cap, I see five players the Broncos may consider parting ways with to open up salary cap space heading into free agency. Case Keenum is not one of them. If he is not the starting quarterback heading into 2019, then he’ll likely be retained as an expensive backup. The cap hit is just too much to stomach in my opinion.Of these five players, I don’t actually expect all five to be cut. I just feel these are the five players who will receive consideration given their cap number and dead money. I would expect at least 2-3 of these veterans to be leaving the team in March and are players that I view as a high probability of being cut for cap reasons in 2019.1. Darian StewartWith two years remaining on his contract and diminishing results on the field, Darian Stewart should receive strong consideration for being cut heading into free agency. The dead money is a bit high at $2.8M this year, but the Broncos would free up $3.6M this year and $6.9M next year in cap space. The safety position has some young players coming into their own in the NFL. Will Parks has especially been impressive lately. And while Justin Simmons has struggled, he was also asked to do a lot of new things in 2018 and the new coaching staff will likely do a better job of putting him in position to be successful moving forward. Given the depth of younger players at the position and his salary cap implications, Stewart is in real danger of being one of those cap casualties in 2019.2. Brandon MarshallWith the sixth-highest cap hit for the Broncos in 2019, inside linebacker Brandon Marshall is in a precarious position of being a cap casualty. His play has diminished a bit and his experience is now becoming expensive to keep around. The good news for those who want to see him remain in the orange and blue in the foreseeable future is that he has made it known that a contract rework is definitely on the table. He loves being a Bronco and being in Denver. Frankly, those are the kinds of players you want on a team. The position group is not hugely deep either, so a rework to keep Marshall could make sense. He is likely losing snaps to Josey Jewell anyway, but having a trusted veteran there in the mix is never a bad thing when it comes to depth. I’m just not sure Elway and the Broncos are all that interested in working out a deal under the new coaching staff. 3. Ronald LearyRonald Leary has been a solid player - when he is playing. He played in 11 games in 2017 and just six games in 2018. The health factor is definitely going to come into play when looking at the cost ratio of dead money and cap savings this year.Leary has the fifth-highest cap hit on the team, but the Broncos could move on from him it gets complicated. Ozark, a member here at MHR, had a good breakdown of what his release in 2019 would mean: From a business standpoint, that doesn’t make Leary’s contract as an attractive of an option for freeing up cap as it would seem just from a cursory glance at things. The bigger savings would apparently come in 2020 http://www.broncosauthorizedshops.com/a … say-jersey , so it may make sense to keep him one more year despite his injury concerns. 4. Derek WolfeThis one is going to ruffle some feathers, but Derek Wolfe is also making this list of potential cap casualties in 2019. He has the fourth-highest cap number on the team and his play as clearly been more about being a run stopper than a pass rusher. However, you can breathe a little easier for this year. I personally think the Broncos are going to let Wolfe play out his contract and become a free agent in 2020. They could save $8.5 million in cap with a $2.375 million dead money hit by cutting him this year, but if they move on from the three guys above the dead money accumulation would start to become a bit uncomfortable in my opinion. That said, we haven’t heard any whiffs of an extension for Wolfe either and I would think that is something we would have gotten an indication of by now. I think the plan is to let Wolfe move on in free agency after this season, but we’ll have to see. Vic Fangio and the new coaching staff could end up deciding that Wolfe is a vital component of the defense and things could change long-term for Wolfe in Denver.5. Emmanuel SandersNow for the saddest part of this post. I think Emmanuel Sanders is going to be the most attractive cap casualty on this list for Elway and the Broncos to consider. First, he is coming off an Achilles injury that may or may not be healed by Week 1 and he has the third-highest cap number on the team with a nearly $13 million cap hit.Cutting Sanders would free up an immediate $10.25 million in cap with just $2.687 million in dead money and unlike many of the other players on this list, there will be no cap implications carrying over into 2020 from this move. In five seasons with Denver, Sanders has accumulated 374 receptions for 4,994 yards and 26 touchdowns to go along with two Pro Bowl selections. Four of those seasons he had less than inspiring quarterback play too. The Broncos offense also suffered incredibly after he went down with that injury in Week 12 as Sanders was a quality security blanket for Case Keenum on third downs. Yet despite all of that, he will remain the most attractive options on the business side of the equation as the Broncos move into free agency in March. Which players from this list do you think will end up being cap casualties in 2019?Future Broncos: Outlining the 2019 NFL Draft’s tight end prospects Given the issues the Denver Broncos have had on defense early on this season, I had originally planned on an installment of this series focusing on defensive prospects that would help several of the franchise’s long-term needs on that side of the ball. However, yesterday’s news regarding tight end Jake Butt prompted interest in going another direction by focusing on the top prospects who are eligible for the 2019 NFL Draft at tight end.Over the past four drafts, the Broncos have utilized a selection on a tight end in three of them. In 2015, they snagged Jeff Heuerman out of Ohio State. Two years later they selected Jake Butt out of Michigan. This past draft Denver opted for Wisconsin’s Troy Fumagalli. All three of them were highly-regarded players for their respective collegiate teams, but all had injury concerns which caused them to slide in the draft.Unfortunately, those concerns followed them to the professional ranks, with each of them missing their rookie campaigns to recover from injury — and with Butt essentially missing two full seasons in the row due to ACL injuries. With that in mind, it’s obvious to observe that the current state of the Broncos’ tight end is a significant cause for concern. Jeff Heuerman and Matt LaCosse are currently the only two active tight ends on the roster Garett Bolles Jersey , with Brian Parker residing on the team’s practice squad.That may arguably be the least talented group in the entire league, so an infusion of talent whether through free agency or next year’s draft is paramount. Since Future Broncos is solely dedicated to draft prospects, I will keep my analysis to outlining some of the best prospects in the nation at the position from the collegiate ranks.Noah Fant (Junior) — IowaAs illustrated above, the Broncos have made the Big Ten Conference their recent pipeline for tight end prospects over the past several drafts. Coincidentally, the consensus number one prospect eligible for the 2019 NFL Draft is from the same conference. Who is that you ask? It is Noah Fant out of Iowa.Playing primarily as a backup to George Kittle as a freshman in 2016, Fant impressed scouts during his sophomore season by reeling in 30 receptions for 494 and 11 touchdowns. His play earned him third-team All-Big Ten honors by the coaches and media. After a slow start to begin the year and issues with drops, Fant has started to pick up steam over thepast two weeks. In four games, he has 15 catches for 169 yards and 4 touchdowns. With the 2019 NFL Draft lacking proven senior commodities at the position, Fant is regarded as the top underclassmen available and it’s easy to see why.Experience as an in-line tight end? Check. Experience as a move tight end? Check. Showcasing his premier athleticism by lining up outside as a receiver? You bet. Not to mention, he is touted as the best tight end prospect Kirk Ferentz has ever coached. Now that’s saying something, especially when you realize how many former Iowa tight ends have been drafted in the nearly two decades he has been their head coach.According to reports, Fant has broken a handful of drill records in his time with the Hawkeyes — most notably a 42 inch vertical leap that would have been best in that category at the NFL Combine over the past seven years. By all accounts, Fant has the potential to be a true difference maker and a match-up nightmare in the National Football League. That’s something you can’t say about anyone currently on the Broncos’ roster.If Fant declares, he is a sure-fire bet to find a home somewhere in the first round. It may not be the “popular” choice for most fans, but he certainly merits consideration and would provide the franchise with an All-Pro caliber talent at the position. With significant upgrades at running back and wide receiver, adding a blue-chip prospect like Fant to the offense would open up a whole new dimension to their game that has been missing for years. What’s not to like about that?If you want to take a closer look at Fant, you can see him in action a week from tomorrow against the Minnesota Gophers on October 6.Albert Okwuegbunam (RS Sophomore) — MissouriFor as impressive as Fant was last season with the Hawkeyes, another young tight end was equally as productive in his first year on the field. Enter Missouri redshirt sophomore Albert Okwuegbunam, who became a red zone and third-down favorite of quarterback Drew Lock in his first campaign. He amassed 29 catches for 415 yards and 11 touchdowns in the Southeastern Conference Authentic Jake Butt Jersey , proving that despite his youth — he was ready to play at a high level.His big play ability hasn’t been on display as much in four games this year, with his yard per reception average nearly half of what it was in 2017. Nevertheless, he has been a reliable target and consistent chain-mover for the Tigers racking up 23 catches, 181 yards and 2 touchdowns to date. At 6’5 and 250 pounds, Okwuegbunam has the size to create problems at the next level and offers top-tier athletic traits, but isn’t nearly as refined as Fant is as a prospect. A weak crop of senior talent at the position, as well as Lock’s entrance into this year’s draft may signal an early declaration from the talented player.You can see him in action this Saturday morning when the Tigers take on the South Carolina Gamecocks.You Can’t Forget AboutCaleb Wilson (Junior) — UCLAA favorite of current Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen, Wilson was on pace for a larger impact in respect to yardage and receptions than either Fant or Okwuegbunam in 2017. Unfortunately, he suffered a broken foot in his fifth game of the year against Colorado and missed the rest of the season. But in those five games, Wilson was dominant and hauled in 38 receptions for 490 yards and a touchdown. Wilson has good athletic traits and a knack for getting open, but leaves a lot to be desired as a blocker. Playing in only two games this year, he has 8 receptions for 128 yards.C.J. Conrad (Senior) — KentuckyLike Wilson, Conrad’s 2017 campaign ended early due to a foot injury. In only seven games he had 16 receptions for 286 yards and four touchdowns. Fans of the Wildcat senior praise him often, referencing his top-notch blocking skills and big-play ability as a receiver. Conrad is known for his versatility and ability to play as an in-line and move tight end. In four games this year, Conrad hasn’t had much of an impact and has been underutilized with just 10 receptions for 58 yards. However, he has played a key role in springing big runs for Benny Snell Jr., Terry Wilson and Asim Rose.Honorable MentionLogan Parker (Senior) — Southern UtahKaden Smith (Junior) — StanfordTommy Sweeney (Senior) — Boston College