The Denver Broncos waived veteran safety Kareem Jackson on Christmas Day.
The team had a roster exemption for safety Kareem Jackson until Monday afternoon. Jackson had returned from a four-game suspension for unnecessary roughness and the Broncos needed to either make a roster cut to make room for him or cut Jackson by Monday.
Denver opted to waive Jackson. If he clears waivers, the Broncos will try to re-sign the safety to their practice squad.
P.J. Locke started during Jackson’s suspension and he played well. Had he returned to the active roster, Jackson would have been a backup on defense. The team’s current backup safeties are rookie JL Skinner and special teams contributor Delarrin Turner-Yell.
Jackson hasn’t played any snaps on defense this season — Turner-Yell played 94% of the special teams snaps against the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Jackson, 35, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March. This season might be his final year in the NFL.
