Broncos Sign WR/KR Victor Bolden to Practice Squad
Filling a newly-created vacancy on their practice squad, the Denver Broncos signed wide receiver/kick returner Victor Bolden, the team announced Tuesday.
A 2017 undrafted free agent, Bolden has made 15 NFL appearances — 13 with the San Francisco 49ers, two with the Buffalo Bills — and registered one career reception for 10 yards. He also spent nearly three years (2019-21) on the Detroit Lions' taxi squad and part of this past summer with the Cardinals.
Before resurfacing in Arizona, Bolden led the Birmingham Stallions to a championship amid the inaugural 2022 campaign of the United States Football League. In addition to earning MVP honors for that game, the Oregon State product was named to the All-USFL Team after totaling 1,209 all-purpose yards across nine contests.
At 5-foot-8, 178 pounds, Bolden is best utilized as a return man, averaging 24.7, 23.2, and 20.8 kick-return yards per game with the Stallions, Bills, and 49ers, respectively.
"That kid has really stuck out, to be honest with you," Cardinals WRs coach Sean Jefferson said of Bolden in August. "He's another guy who can play both inside and outside. He's shifty. He can make guys miss on special teams."
Bolden's addition could be interpreted as a lifeline for a Broncos special teams unit that ranks dead last in the NFL in kick-return average (16.5 YPG) entering Week 11 — and perhaps an ominous sign for rookie KR Montrell Washington, who's drawn the repeated ire of coordinator Dwayne Stukes.
"I think sometimes he presses to make plays," Stukes said six days ago. "He plays a little bit of offense, but at times, he’s not getting the ball, so the next place he can make a play is as a returner. Now, he gets a situation where, ‘Oh, I got to do this for my team.’ We keep harping—and me included—we have to provide positive field position for our offense. We want to provide positive field position for offense. It might be me putting a little pressure on him. I know for sure that we’ve had a conversation, and he understands fully what we expect out of him.”
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