I was ok with them maybe trading him and getting some value out of him before he probably tested the market in 2018, but releasing him is crazy. You just punched a hole in the only strength our team had. How you do you expect a 2nd year safety to step into a starting role 1 week before opening day have the chemistry necessary to maintain our elite secondary? 

I sure hope Elway has something good planned for that money because if Ward goes to Oakland and helps put that defense over the edge to get to a SB like he did for us, it will be a HUGE black eye on his legacy as a GM.