Bourbon Belly Up 8.24 - 8.31 Lights, Camera, Action! The dress rehearsal part of the year is done, and everyone can look forward to Monday Night Football in Kansas City in a couple of weeks. With camp wrapping up and final rosters being set, here are the main storylines for the week. **Band of Brothers** Broncos Country circled the wagons earlier last week as Sean Payton went full mama bear on ESPN Analyst Geoff Shwartz after the on-air personality had negative critiques of the 3rd year quarterbacks body of work to date. For all the bluster and whining about bringing the band back together for one more season, me included, the Broncos are making a bet that good vibes will get them through 2026. **And this, the cruelest cut of all** The dust has settled, and the 53-man roster is set. Already, names like 7th-round pick Red Murdock and veteran running back Jaleel McLaughlin will begin looking for new jobs come this week. Always an eyebrow raiser when draft picks are cut, like 5th-round choice Justin Joly, but it's basic math; only a handful of spots were up for grabs, and talented players would be continuing their football journey somewhere else. **What to do with Jonathon Cooper?** Notably, on Friday, Cooper was the only defensive starter who played in the preseason finale. Why is that? Because James Pearce got hit with an 8-game suspension this year, but let's explain a bit further. If the league is stepping in to dole out punishments for domestic violence conduct, then it’s safe to assume that an EIGHT-game suspension translates to zero tolerance. Circling back to Cooper, who hasn’t been arraigned as of this writing, the writing is on the wall. With credible allegations and similar circumstances, the team placed him on the Commissioner's list, essentially putting the linebacker on paid leave while the legal issues get sorted out without counting against the roster. The 53 is set, and now the business of real football can begin. For all your Broncos content that is fit to print, keep it locked on this space and more at Broncosandbourbon.com.