Sean Payton said Wednesday the NFL should let the Broncos know soon what it plans to do with Jonathan Cooper, a decision that could shape the team’s final roster before Sunday’s cutdown deadline. Payton said he did not know exactly when the league would act, but added that he expected clarity soon and that the media would likely hear it at the same time.
The timing matters because the Broncos must trim from 90 players to 53 by Sunday, and any NFL move on Cooper would remove him from that count. The 28-year-old outside linebacker has remained a full participant in training camp even as the league reviews his situation and four active charges remain pending in Douglas County, including felony second-degree assault by strangulation.
That is the part that keeps this from being a routine roster watch. Cooper was arrested twice in early June stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident, and he is set to be arraigned in a Douglas County courtroom Monday. Through all of it, he has stayed on the field, practicing with the Broncos while the NFL conducts its own review.
The league has two clear options if it moves before Sunday. It could suspend Cooper, which would take him off the 53-man roster, or place him on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, which would also remove him from the roster while leaving him on temporary paid leave. Players on that list cannot play or practice with the team, though they are typically allowed to attend meetings and work out at the club’s facility.
Brian McCarthy said Wednesday the NFL continues to monitor developments and that the matter remains under review. That leaves the Broncos waiting on a ruling that could arrive before they make their final cuts and could open a roster spot for Ron Stone, Jr., who was signed Tuesday as a free agent. Payton said he wanted clarity, and this is the kind of deadline that usually forces it.
For Cooper, the next confirmed date is Monday in Douglas County. For the Broncos, the next answer may come sooner, before Sunday’s roster deadline closes the door on what they can do with his spot.
