When the Broncos officially closed their preseason Thursday night, they had less than 48 hours to form an initial 53-man active roster, begin to think about their 10-man practice squad and decide which of their many injured players will be shelved for the foreseeable future.



With Saturday’s 2 p.m. MT deadline approaching, John Elway and Co. quickly went to work Friday in reshaping the roster, throwing in a couple of surprises with its first wave of moves.



The most significant was the acquisition of cornerback Duke Dawson, a former second-round pick by the Patriots who did not play a single snap with the team as a rookie last year. The Broncos traded their 2020 sixth-round draft pick to New England in exchange for Dawson and a 2020 seventh-round pick.



Although the depreciation is alarming for a high-round pick, the Broncos had a high grade on Dawson ahead of the 2018 draft and need depth on their new-look secondary.



Dawson was placed on injured...