Broncos Claim DL Jonathan Harris Off Waivers From Bears

On Tuesday, the Denver Broncos opened up a roster spot by trading disgruntled wideout Emmanuel Sanders. On Wednesday, the team announced it had filled that roster spot by claiming defensive lineman Jonathan Harris off waivers.

Harris is an undrafted rookie who originally signed with the Chicago Bears. He's 6-foot-5, 295 pounds and appeared in two games for the Bears this year.

Harris played four years at NAIA Lindenwood, appearing in 43 games and totaling 183 tackles, 22 sacks, four forced fumbles, one interception and one fumble recovery.

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Where He Fits

Honestly, I'm not quite sure where Jonathan Harris fits with the Broncos right now. This was more of a 'churn the bottom of the roster' type of move than any grand plan or knee-jerk reaction based on need.

The Broncos have plenty of depth currently on the D-line, with 2016 second-rounder Adam Gotsis a healthy scratch on the bench for the last three games. However, counting Gotsis, Denver has three D-linemen playing in a contract year, which makes the move to add Jonathan Harris more understandable.

Derek Wolfe and Shelby Harris could be playing in another uniform next year, so the Broncos are going to comb every nook and cranny to find D-linemen who might fit into the puzzle for Vic Fangio and company in 2020 and beyond.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Broncos shuffled a couple of players on the practice squad, adding WR Kelvin McKnight and jettisoning OL Tyler Jones. When a team is 2-5 and just traded arguably its best offensive player, practice squad moves are all that's left for a fanbase to hang its hat on.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.