Tag: brandon johnson

Brandon Johnson earns Ducks Wire Player of the Game in Oregon debut

A look a Oregon Ducks transfer CB Brandon Johnson’s spectacular week 1 performance.

The Oregon Ducks season opener did not go as planned.

On Saturday before the game, Oregon was favored by 45.5 points over the Idaho Vandals, but with under six minutes to go in the fourth quarter the Ducks found themselves ahead by just three points, leading 17-14.

There were a lot of issues with the way the Ducks played, particularly on offense. The offensive line struggled for all four quarters, and quarterback Dillon Gabriel had several miscues. Wide receiver Tez Johnson was a bright spot, catching 12 passes for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns, but the standout player in Oregon’s season opener was cornerback Brandon Johnson. He is the Ducks Wire Player of the Game.

Johnson, a nickel corner who transferred this offseason from the Duke Blue Devils, kept the Ducks in the game as Idaho continued to put pressure on them. In the first half, the Vandals were driving, threatening to tie the game 7-7, when Johnson contorted his body and bobbled the ball before securing an interception in the Oregon end zone. The Ducks capitalized off the turnover, embarking on a long drive that ended in a Jordan James touchdown.

Johnson’s impact didn’t stop there. On the Vandals’ final drive in the first half, QB Jack Layne took a shot to the pylon to Tony Harste, but Johnson was draped all over and broke up the pass. In the second half, on a critical third down, Johnson got into the backfield to blow up a screen pass, making the tackle for a two-yard loss and forcing a punt.

Johnson’s performance was spectacular, and he’ll be valuable for Oregon next week and all season, but the Ducks have a lot of work to do ahead of Boise State. And although the offense was Oregon’s main problem area on Saturday, the defense needs work as well.

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Steelers sign former Russell Wilson target to practice squad

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed former Russell Wilson target, Brandon Johnson, to its practice squad.

On Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers began constructing their 2024 practice squad by adding seven players, including Brandon Johnson, a former Russell Wilson target.

Johnson spent two seasons with the Denver Broncos between the practice squad and active roster. He caught 44 passes for 610 yards and nine touchdowns after signing with Denver as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL draft.

Mike Klies, Broncos reporter for 9 News, shared on X that Denver attempted to sign Johnson to its practice squad. Instead, Johnson chose to come to Pittsburgh, where he had two established connections with Wilson and former Broncos wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni.

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9 players cut by Broncos this week have landed with new teams

Nine players cut by the Broncos this week have landed with NFL teams.

The Denver Broncos made 38 roster moves earlier this week to get down to a 53-man roster ahead of the 2024 season.

Of the 22 players that were waived by Denver, only one — offensive tackle Demontrey Jacobs — was claimed. Jacobs was picked up by the New England Patriots on Wednesday.

The Broncos also released 11 veterans. Two of them — wide receiver Tim Patrick with the Detroit Lions and running back Samaje Perine with the Kansas City Chiefs — have already found new homes.

Another veteran — center Sam Mustipher — joined the Los Angeles Chargers’ practice squad. Four other ex-Denver players who were waived have also landed on practice squads, and the Broncos have re-signed 15 players to their own practice squad (it will be 16 soon).

Here’s the full list of players cut by Denver who have joined new clubs this week:

Ex-Broncos signed to active rosters:

1. OT Demontrey Jacobs (New England Patriots)
2. RB Samaje Perine (Kansas City Chiefs)

Ex-Broncos signed to practice squads:

3. WR Tim Patrick (Detroit Lions)
4. DL Elijah Garcia (New York Giants)
5. C Sam Mustipher (Los Angeles Chargers)
6. WR Brandon Johnson (Pittsburgh Steelers)
7. WR Jalen Virgil (Buffalo Bills)
8. OLB Thomas Incoom (Carolina Panthers)
9. CB Art Green (New York Giants)

After setting their 53-man roster and 17-player practice squad, the Broncos will turn their attention toward a Week 1 showdown with the Seattle Seahawks.

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Broncos lose 2 WRs they wanted to sign to practice squad

The Broncos wanted to re-sign WRs Brandon Johnson and Jalen Virgil but lost them to the Steelers and Bills, respectively.

The Denver Broncos opted to carry five wide receivers on their 53-man roster this year, which left Tim Patrick, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Brandon Johnson and Jalen Virgil among their roster cuts this week.

Patrick quickly landed on his feet with the Detroit Lions and the Broncos were able to re-sign Humphrey to their practice squad. The two others got away.

Johnson signed with the practice squad of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Virgil signed with the practice squad of the Buffalo Bills. Denver wanted to bring back both receivers.

The Broncos could not top the Steelers offering a reunion with wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni and quarterback Russell Wilson. Denver also “badly wanted” to bring back Virgil, but he believed Buffalo offered a clearer path to the active roster.

After missing out on Johnson and Virgil, the Broncos added Humphrey, David Sills and Michael Bandy to their practice squad. Our practice squad tracker shows two spots left for Denver. The Broncos will likely want to add another offensive lineman, and linebacker Jonas Griffith is also still available. We are tracking all the team’s signings on this page.

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Broncos’ WR room seems to be set after team cut Brandon Johnson

After moving on from Brandon Johnson, the Broncos appear to have set their wide receiver room for the 2024 season.

The Denver Broncos appear to have finalized their wide receiver room for the 2024 NFL season.

After news broke on Monday that the Broncos planned to trade or release Tim Patrick, Denver then parted ways with Jalen Virgil and Brandon Johnson on Tuesday. The WR room now seems to be sorted.

Courtland Sutton is back as the team’s No. 1 receiver and the team added Josh Reynolds during free agency this year. Troy Franklin (who might be a healthy scratch this year) and Devaughn Vele were added during the draft, and Pro Bowl returner Marvin Mims is back.

That’s five wide receivers. If the Broncos plan to carry six, Lil’Jordan Humphrey is likely safe after he was held out of the team’s preseason finale on Sunday. Michael Bandy also impressed this summer, but he seems more likely to end up on the practice squad.

So with cuts still happening, Denver’s WR room appears to be Sutton, Reynolds, Mims, Vele, Humphrey and Franklin. We’ll see if that ends up actually being the final six.

We are tracking all of the team’s roster moves on Broncos Wire.

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12 hardest and most surprising cuts on Broncos’ projected 53-man roster

These were the hardest players to cut on our projected 53-man roster for the Broncos.

After wrapping up preseason on Sunday, Denver Broncos general manager George Paton and coach Sean Payton must now trim the squad from 91 players down to a 53-man roster by Tuesday afternoon.

Before the cuts begin (likely later today), we put together one final 53-man roster prediction for the Broncos. It featured a dozen difficult decisions, and some of the players we cut might be surprising to fans in Denver.

At wide receiver, for example, Brandon Johnson was cut despite scoring a 46-yard touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals. On the defensive line, Jordan Jackson was cut after totaling two sacks on Sunday. Pass rusher Dondrea Tillman is also a cut candidate despite his standout performance in the preseason finale.

Linebacker Levelle Bailey’s 94-yard pick-six didn’t guarantee him a spot on the squad. Safety Keidron Smith’s three preseason takeaways weren’t enough for him to make it, either.

Such is life in the NFL.

12 hardest (projected) Broncos roster cuts

1. WR Brandon Johnson
2. RB Tyler Badie
3. RB Blake Watson
4. OL Nick Gargiulo
5. OL Sam Mustipher
6. OT Alex Palczewski
7. DL Jordan Jackson
8. DL Matt Henningsen
9. OLB Dondrea Tillman
10. ILB Levelle Bailey
11. DB Keidron Smith
12. P Riley Dixon

If they clear waivers, most of the above players would likely return on the practice squad. Our projected cuts are also just that — projections. Several of these players could end up making the 53-man roster. We’ll find out soon enough. All of Denver’s roster cuts will be tracked on Broncos Wire.

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WATCH: Broncos QB Zach Wilson throws 46-yard TD pass to Brandon Johnson

Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson hits Brandon Johnson on a 46-yard touchdown pass to make it 31-12 in the fourth quarter.

Denver Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Johnson in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals.

Here’s video of the play, courtesy of the team’s official Twitter/X page:

Denver now leads Arizona 31-12 in the fourth quarter.

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5 wide receivers Broncos could trade before roster cuts

Before roster cuts begin, could the Broncos look to trade a wide receiver?

When the Denver Broncos begin roster cuts next week, coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton will have some very tough decisions to make at wide receiver.

There’s not room for all of the receivers on Denver’s 53-man roster, and Payton has said some of them might end up playing for other teams in 2024. The Broncos could make roster cuts easier if they’re able to trade one or two of their receivers in the coming days. Here are five candidates to keep an eye on.

1. Courtland Sutton: He is the team’s best WR and coming off a 10-touchdown season, but Sutton has drawn interest from teams over the last two years. Sutton has one more year left on his contract after this season. If Denver’s not planning to give Sutton an extension, the rebuilding Broncos could trade him before he enters his age-29 season.

2. Tim Patrick: Denver seems unlikely to draw much interest for a 30-year-old Patrick when he’s coming off back-to-back season-ending injuries, but Patrick was featured in the team’s second preseason game last week. Perhaps the Broncos were showing other clubs that Patrick is healthy.

3. Jalen Virgil: He missed all of last season with a meniscus injury, but Virgil has had a good summer. With the NFL switching to an XFL-style kickoff format this year, Virgil’s ability to return kicks increases his value.

4. Brandon Johnson: He ranked second on the team last season with four touchdown catches. Johnson would be a capable WR4 or WR5, but there might not be room for him on Denver’s roster.

5. Lil’Jordan Humphrey: He had a modest campaign last fall with 13 receptions for 162 yards and three touchdowns, but Humphrey has the size (6-4, 225 pounds) and experience (eight starts last year) to serve as a capable reserve receiver in the NFL.

We will track each Denver cut and any potential trades on Broncos Wire.

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Sean Payton has ‘a good problem’ with Broncos’ wide receivers

“We potentially have guys that may end up playing for another team,” Sean Payton said of the Broncos’ depth at wide receiver.

The Denver Broncos have an extremely crowded wide receiver depth chart going into the second week of NFL preseason.

Courtland Sutton is coming off a 10-touchdown season and he is the team’s No. 1 receiver. Marvin Mims is one of the best returners in the NFL. Josh Reynolds just signed with the team during free agency this spring. Denver just used a fourth-round pick to draft Troy Franklin in April.

Those four players have to be considered locks, and the Broncos only carried four receivers on their initial 53-man roster last year. Surely, Denver will carry at least five WRs this season.

Even with an extra spot, though, it will be hard to choose between veteran Tim Patrick, seventh-round pick Devaughn Vele and others. Jalen Virgil adds value as a returner. Lil’Jordan Humphrey has the height coach Sean Payton looks for in a receiver. Brandon Johnson scored four touchdowns last season.

Have fun choosing between them.

“Yesterday we spent a lot of time on personnel,” Payton said Wednesday. “Sometimes the nod is kicking game related. Sometimes the nod might be experience. There’s a lot that goes into it. … More than I can recall anywhere, the depth in competition at that position group — we potentially have guys that may end up playing for another team.

“It’s still early in the process. I think it’s a real good question and it’s the reality of this camp right now. These guys are working hard and it’s a good problem to have.”

As Payton noted, it’s a luxury problem, but the Broncos don’t want to waive a receiver and then see him shine for another club. Denver might consider attempting to trade a receiver or two when roster cuts approach later this month. Our latest 53-man roster prediction has five WRs with Vele making the squad over Patrick. Barring trades or injuries, the Broncos will have to make some very tough decisions at the position this summer. The initial roster will be set on Aug. 27.

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Broncos roster series: No. 89, WR Brandon Johnson

Broncos WR Brandon Johnson hauled in 19 receptions for 284 yards and four touchdowns last season.

Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at third-year wide receiver Brandon Johnson, No. 89.

Before the Broncos: Johnson (6-2, 195 pounds) spent five years at Tennessee, hauling in 79 receptions for 969 yards and one touchdown in 46 games. He made a graduate transfer to UCF in 2021 and had the best season of his college career with 38 receptions for 565 yards and 11 touchdowns. Following six years at the college level, Johnson entered his first year in the NFL as a 24-year-old rookie.

Broncos tenure: Denver signed Johnson as a college free agent in 2022. He was injured the first half of his rookie season and then dressed for the final seven games of the year, hauling in six receptions for 42 yards. Last year, Johnson played in 13 games, totaling 19 receptions for 284 yards and four touchdowns.

Chances to make the 53-man roster: Toss up. The Broncos parted ways with Jerry Jeudy this spring, but they also signed Josh Reynolds and drafted Troy Franklin, and Tim Patrick is returning from injury in 2024. Consequently, Denver has a crowded WR room. Johnson might be a long shot to make the active roster, but he should be a top candidate for the practice squad.

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