The Denver Broncos signed Trent Sherfield in free agency this offseason in a move that most everyone assumed was to bolster the special teams unit. Sherfield has been a marginal offensive player throughout his career and may not even be in the league if not for his special teams prowess.
But in the preseason, the Broncos showed that they may have bigger plans for him. In the team's preseason opener against San Francisco, he caught three passes for 73 yards and a touchdown. Then, when it was time to cut down to 53 players, the Broncos kept just five wide receivers. It was long thought that the team would keep six, with Sherfield being the special teams guy.
The fact that the team kept only five wide receivers and didn't bring any of their young undrafted free agents back to the practice squad shows that the Broncos may have bigger plans for Sherfield than first thought.
That prompted Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report to label Sherfield as the Broncos' biggest winner of this year's roster cuts.
"The Denver Broncos continue to shuffle their receiving corps in order to get the most out of quarterback Bo Nix. One of this year's biggest beneficiaries might be wideout Trent Sherfield Sr.
A 2018 undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt, Sherfield bounced around the NFL before signing a two-year, $6 million contract with the Broncos this offseason. A valuable special-teams contributor, Sherfield flashed some legitimate deep-threat ability in Sean Payton's offense this preseason.
After playing for three different teams over the last three years, the 29-year-old may have found a new permanent home", wrote Knox.
READ: Former Broncos CB latches on with NFC South team
Sherfield has never caught more than 30 passes in a single season. This could be the year he gets some regular run on offense, as the Broncos don't have a proven option behind Courtland Sutton. There are several contenders who could step up and take that role, but if it's going to be a committee approach, which Sean Payton often prefers, Sherfield could have the biggest season of his career thus far.
MORE BRONCOS CONTENT
Broncos will make franchise quarterback history in Week 1 for the second straight year
Broncos currently predicted to have top free agent on the market in 2026
Denver Broncos take first wide receiver off the board in 2026 mock draft
Broncos' top X-factor for 2025 is an outside-the-box selection
Denver Broncos add 17th player to practice squad with international signing