The Denver Broncos have placed a second-round tender on defensive lineman Mike Purcell, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
This year, second-round tenders are worth $3.25 million.
Purcell (6-3, 328 pounds) entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Wyoming with the San Francisco 49ers in 2013. After spending the first three years of his career with the 49ers, Purcell joined the Los Angeles Rams in 2017 but failed to make their 53-man roster.
Purcell then spent time on the practice squads of the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs before joining the Salt Lake Stallions of the now-defunct Alliance of American Football last spring.
After the Broncos had multiple defensive linemen go down with injuries last offseason, the team signed Purcell as an emergency option. Purcell went on to win a starting job midway through the season and finished the year with 48 tackles in seven starts.
After the Broncos acquired five-time Pro Bowler Jurrell Casey in a trade with the Tennessee Titans, Denver’s starting defensive line at the moment projects to be Casey, Purcell and Dre’Mont Jones, a third-round pick in last year’s draft.
Though he entered the league seven years ago, Purcell is considered a fifth-year player because he was not on an active roster in 2017 or 2018.
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