Released by the organization one day before its season opener with Pittsburgh, quarterback Caleb Hanie was re-signed by the Denver Broncos on Monday, according to the team's Gray Caldwell.
Though he appeared to win the No. 2 quarterback job behind Peyton Manning in camp over rookie Brock Osweiler, Denver opted to save itself a nice chunk of change by cutting Hanie loose when it did. By releasing him before Week 1 kicked off, the Broncos eliminated his $1 million base salary from their books and also skipped out on the $250,000 roster bonus Hanie would've been due for making the 53-man cut.
Considering how unlikely it would have been for Manning to suffer an injury in Sunday's game, it's apparent that the Broncos had this entire situation mapped out well before cutting Hanie loose. The Broncos obviously have no desire to actually use either Hanie or Osweiler on the field this season, but a move like this makes it quite clear that the organization is hesitant to toss the 6'8 rookie to the wolves right now.
Based solely on the way this situation has played out, it's safe to believe that Hanie will likely step right back into his No. 2 role in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons.
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