Broncos Sign 16 Players to Practice Squad
Following Saturday's round of final roster cuts, the Denver Broncos anxiously awaited to see which players would pass through waivers unclaimed. Unlike last season when the Broncos made four waiver wire claims themselves the day after cut-downs, the team mostly stood pat just as GM John Elway said they would.
"I think that we feel pretty good about our football team," Elway said on Saturday following the roster cuts. "Obviously, we’re going to look at everything and look at all possibilities and see if there’s a chance that somebody would be out there to help our football team. I think we feel pretty good about where we are, kind of excited about the football team we have.”
True to his word, the Broncos announced on Saturday that 15 players have been re-to the practice squad and every single one of them spent the summer with the team in training camp. The Broncos also signed one outside player after he was waived by the Chicago Bears. Here's the list:
Quinn Bailey | OT | Exp: 1
De'Vante Bausby | CB | Exp: 4
LeVante Bellamy | RB | Exp: R
Trinity Benson | WR | Exp: 1
Fred Brown | WR | Exp: 2
Jeremy Cox | RB | Exp: 1
Alijah Holder | DB | Exp: 1
P.J. Locke | DB | Exp: 1
Patrick Morris | IOL | Exp: 2
Darrin Paulo | OT | Exp: R
Jake Rodgers | OT | Exp: 3
Brett Rypien | QB | Exp: 1
Derrek Tuszka | OLB | Exp: R
Josh Watson | LB | Exp: 1
DeShawn Williams | DL | Exp: 3
Kevin Tolliver | CB | Exp: 2
With one spot on the 16-man practice squad still open, the one who got away was second-year linebacker Justin Hollins, whom the Los Angeles Rams claimed off waivers. The Broncos' 2019 fifth-round pick, Hollins will be reunited with Rams' defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, who served as the Broncos' outside linebackers coach last year.
It'll be interesting to see what the Broncos do to fill that last spot on the squad. Meantime, here are some quick observations on the players Denver re-signed.
Bausby Stays
I was harsh on the Broncos for their decision to waive Bausby. He had a great camp and is arguably the third-best cornerback on the roster. Although Davontae Harris now has more starting experience than Bausby, it was the latter who seemed to be the better fit for Vic Fangio's zone-based coverage scheme. Fortunately, Bausby stays in Denver where he can be available for gameday call-ups to the roster or even full promotion to the active roster.
Three OTs Kept
The Broncos let fans in on their own anxieties by re-signing three of the four offensive tackles that were cut. Only undrafted rookie Hunter Watts did not get the call back. Calvin Anderson beat out Rodgers for the four OT spot on the active roster but carrying three shows that Denver still has some misgivings at the guys who made the roster.
Staying Power
The two wide receivers who were kept were in Fangio's first training camp as head coach last year and Brown even saw some time on the active roster later in the season. Benson is a dynamic, speedy wideout with some returner chops and Brown is a surprisingly accomplished receiver who does everything well but nothing great — outside of his motor and willingness to do whatever his coaches call on him to do. Cody White and Kendall Hinton were also cut but not re-signed.
Two RBs Kept
The Broncos kept three running backs on the active roster but it's a position that suffers one of the highest attrition rates in the NFL for obvious reasons. Better to have a couple of backup options at the ready in the event the injury bug strikes.
Remember, this year, two players from the practice squad can be activated on gameday to play, swelling the roster to 55 guys. But it's a short-lived promotion, as the team has to send two more back to the practice squad the next day (though it doesn't have to be the same two that were activated on gameday).
There are a lot of ways the Broncos can utilize this new rule strategically to their advantage.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
