WR Juwann Winfree opens eyes at Packers’ minicamp

The young Packers receiver created some positive momentum during minicamp.

Wide receiver Juwann Winfree opened some eyes at the three-day minicamp for the Green Bay Packers earlier this month.

Many of the beat writers covering the minicamp noted how impressive Winfree looked during the event.

Rob Demovsky of ESPN highlighted Winfree as the team’s “surprise player” at minicamp. He said Winfree caught “plenty” of passes during the three days and could now make a “strong run at a spot” on the Packers depth chart at wide receiver.

Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated pointed to Winfree as the “most productive receiver” at minicamp, noting he caught a pair of touchdowns during the practices, including one in the two-minute drill.

Matt Schneidman of The Athletic included Winfree among the nine players to watch in his minicamp wrapup.

Winfree, 24, was originally a sixth-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2019. He played in three games as a rookie but didn’t catch a pass, and the Broncos waived him following training camp in 2020. The Packers signed him to the practice squad in October and he spent the final four months of the season in Green Bay.

A chance to spend the entire offseason with the Packers after gaining confidence in the offense and creating a foundation during the 2020 season could propel a young, talented receiver to a coveted roster spot during training camp.

Winfree’s draft profile at NFL.com describes him as a senior captain at Colorado with athleticism in space and an appetite for blocking in the run game, a fitting description for a receiver trying to find a role in Matt LaFleur’s offense.

A fascinating roster battle is emerging at receiver. Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and rookie Amari Rodgers are roster locks, but Winfree will compete with the likes of Devin Funchess, Equanimeous St. Brown, Malik Taylor and Reggie Begelton for one or two spots behind the four. Can a strong performance during the offseason workout program help Winfree create much-needed momentum entering training camp?

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Chiefs hosted three free agents for visits on Monday

An offensive lineman, a wide receiver and a punter were in Kansas City for visits on Monday.

The Kansas City Chiefs hosted three free agents for visits on Monday, including a familiar face. According to the NFL’s transaction report, the Chiefs reported visits with OL Danny Isidora, WR Juwann Winfree and P Tyler Newsome.

Isidora, 26, was a former fifth-round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2017. He mostly operated as a backup along the interior offensive line in Minnesota. In 2019, he was traded to the Miami Dolphins. He’s appeared in 24 career games between the two teams starting in a total of six games. The Chiefs are short on offensive linemen on their practice squad, so signing Isidora could make some sense.

Winfree, 24, was a former sixth-round pick by the Chiefs’ AFC West division rival, the Denver Broncos. He was waived by the Broncos during 53-man roster cuts. According to our friends at Broncos Wire, Winfree only played in three games last season with most of his action coming on special teams. He also missed most of training camp with a groin injury.

Finally, the Chiefs brought back Newsome, who was with the team for the majority of the virtual offseason program. He was released during the cutdown from 90 players to 80 players earlier in the summer. It’s interesting that Kansas City would bring him back for a workout. It’s worth noting that Tommy Townsend, who won the punting job in Kansas City, isn’t dealing with an injury or anything like that.

Does this signal that the Chiefs have some doubts about Townsend’s potential to step in and be the starting punter for the team? Everything they’ve said up to this point wouldn’t suggest that. Perhaps the Chiefs anticipated that Dustin Colquitt would be available if they ran into injury trouble at the position. That, of course, won’t be the case now with Colquitt signing a free-agent deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Nevertheless, it’s good to see the team bringing in some new players. We’ll see if anything happens in the coming days as a result of these visits.

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Broncos cut WR Juwann Winfree

Broncos sent the former sixth-round pick to the waiver wire.

The Denver Broncos have waived wide receiver Juwann Winfree, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. If he clears waivers, Winfree will be eligible to sign with the practice squad on Sunday.

Winfree (6-3, 215 pounds) played college football in the Broncos’ backyard with the Colorado Buffaloes. Denver traded up in the sixth round of last year’s draft to select the 24-year-old receiver.

Winfree dressed for just three games last year and played primarily on special teams. He was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury last December, ending his rookie season.

Winfree was sidelined with a groin injury for most of training camp this summer. Winfree’s injury combined with the Broncos’ crowded wide receiver room gave him long odds to make the 53-man roster.

Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler and Tim Patrick all seem to be locks to make the team. Diontae Spencer will likely make the team as a returner. If Denver only keeps six wide receivers, the final spot might come down to DaeSean Hamilton vs. seventh-round pick Tyrie Cleveland.

We are tracking all of the Broncos’ roster cuts on this page.

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Broncos injuries: 11 players held out of practice Monday

The Broncos have been hit hard by injuries in the second week of training camp.

Linebacker Justin Strnad had wrist surgery and will miss the entire season. In addition to Strnad, 10 other Denver players were held out of Monday’s practice.

WR KJ Hamler (hamstring), ILB Todd Davis (calf), WR Juwann Winfree (groin), CB Michael Ojemudia (quad), TE Austin Fort (knee), DB Alijah Holder (soft tissue), CB De’Vante Bausby (soft tissue), OLB Malik Carney (illness), WR Tim Patrick (soft tissue) and DL Mike Purcell (calf) were also sidelined.

Broncos coach Vic Fangio said he didn’t anticipate having this many soft tissue injuries during camp.

“I was not expecting that,” Fangio said. “I think there were some flaws in the way we set up the acclimation period along with the other stuff. It doesn’t do anybody any good to whine about it now. We just have to adjust and improvise and react to it, which we did.”

Denver adjusted Monday’s schedule and made it a lighter practice session. The Broncos’ season opener against the Titans is three weeks away so the team still has some time for players to get healthy.

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Broncos injuries: CB Michael Ojemudia out at least a week

Broncos cornerback Michael Ojemudia will be sidelined for at least a week with a quad injury.

Camp injuries are piling up for the Broncos.

Star outside linebacker Von Miller (elbow) and tight end Nick Vannett (concussion) were back on the field Sunday but six players were held out and linebacker Justin Strnad suffered a wrist injury during practice.

After the practice session, coach Vic Fangio said he didn’t have an update yet for Strnad’s injury status. Fangio did say cornerback Michael Ojemudia (quad) will be out “at least a week, maybe past that.”

Meanwhile, running back Melvin Gordon (ribs), wide receiver KJ Hamler (hamstring), inside linebacker Todd Davis (calf), receiver Juwann Winfree (groin) and tight end Austin Fort (knee) all remained sidelined Sunday.

Fangio said Hamler is “still a ways away” from a potential return. With Hamler and Winfree both sidelined, Denver added receiver depth by signing rookie Cody White.

Gordon is still considered day-to-day.

“He could be out there tomorrow, could not be,” Fangio said of Gordon. “It’s the ribs. Ribs are touchy. He truly is day-to-day.”

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Broncos injuries: KJ Hamler could be out a month

The Broncos have at least nine players dealing with injuries.

After wide receiver KJ Hamler sat out practice on Thursday, Broncos coach Vic Fangio said the rookie would miss “a couple weeks.” Those weeks might drag into a month.

Hamler could be out a month, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Hamstring injuries can have varying recovery times and Denver won’t want to rush Hamler back on the field before he’s fully recovered.

One month from Thursday would be Sept. 20, which puts Hamler in danger of missing the Broncos’ season opener against the Titans (Sept. 14) and possibly their road game against the Steelers (Sept. 20) as well.

With Hamler sidelined, the Broncos brought in free agent wide receiver Cody White for a tryout. There’s been no word yet on if that tryout will lead to a spot on the roster.

Elsewhere on the injury front, outside linebacker Von Miller (elbow) and running back Melvin Gordon (ribs) were held out of practice Friday but their injuries do not seem to be serious. Fangio said both players are day-to-day.

Wide receiver Juwann Winfree (groin), tight end Nick Vannett (concussion protocol) and tight end Austin Fort (knee) were also held out. Fort will be out for several weeks. Vannett might be close to returning. Winfree’s status is uncertain.

Fangio said Elijah Wilkinson “tweaked” his ankle at Friday’s practice but the right tackle says he will be OK.

“My ankle is fine,” Wilkinson said. “Just a quick roll, but everything was fine walking off. They just kind of pulled me and no reason aggravate it anymore. Everything is fine. We got tangled up a little bit, but everything is cool.”

Denver received good news on inside linebacker Todd Davis, who suffered a calf injury on Thursday. Davis has a strain, not a tear, which means a faster recovery time. Davis is still going to miss “at least a week,” according to Fangio, but that’s better than missing two months as he did in 2019.

Broncos rookie tight end Albert Okwuegbunam has some kind of thumb injury but he has been able to catch passes at practice with a splint.

“You can’t even tell [he’s wearing it] so that’s always good to see that he’s not taking the easy way out with a crutch there,” Fangio said of Okwuegbunam’s splint. “Overall, we’ve been pleased with him.”

Denver’s players will get a much-needed rest day on Saturday before returning to the UCHealth Training Center for Day 8 on Sunday.

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Grading Broncos rookies from the 2019 season

The Denver Broncos drafted a solid rookie class in 2019. How did each player grade out across the season?

After each school year, students are given letter grades to assess their accomplishments during the previous year. During every NFL offseason, grades are also commonplace.

Looking back at the Denver Broncos’ 2019 draft class, there is plenty of good that stands out, which means there is plenty to build on heading into the future.

Some of these players will be part of the foundation with which the Broncos look to rebuild on, looking to end a postseason drought that dates back to Super Bowl 50.

Here, we will review the 2019 season of each member of the team’s rookie class. This review will include statistics and the impact they made on the team. In addition to the team’s draft choices, Malik Reed, an undrafted rookie who made the 53-man roster, will also be graded.

There were other players that made the practice squad and then were called up to the active roster for various reasons, such as Josh Watson and Alijah Holder. Because their sample size is so small, they will not receive a grade for the season.

With all of that in mind, here we go.

1. Noah Fant, tight end

2019 stats

Receptions: 40

Receiving yards: 562

Touchdowns: 3

The Broncos originally held the No. 10 overall pick in the first round and many fans and analysts alike expected them to use the pick on Michigan linebacker Devin Bush. Instead, the team traded back to the No. 20 slot and chose Fant.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, who made the trade with Denver to come up to No. 10, did select Bush. Bush would have looked great in Denver and arguably better than Fant ever will, but Fant showed signs of being a future star.

His season got off to a slow start and concerns arose even in preseason among fans that the Broncos may have drafted a dud. He turned it on later in the season and finished second on the team in receptions and receiving yards, behind only Courtland Sutton.

In all, he did what was asked of him as a rookie and big things should be expected next season.

Grade: B-

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Broncos make 2 roster moves

The Broncos placed a wide receiver on injured reserve and signed a defensive lineman to the 53-man roster.

The Denver Broncos are signing Kyle Peko to their 53-man roster, the defensive lineman announced on his Twitter page Friday. Denver has ruled out defensive linemen DeMarcus Walker (ankle) and Adam Gotsis (knee) for Week 14 and Dre’Mont Jones (ankle) is listed as questionable.

Peko will provide some much-needed depth on the defensive line, joining Shelby Harris, Jonathan Harris and Mike Purcell as the only four healthy defensive linemen on the team’s roster going into Sunday’s game.

To make room for Peko on the active roster, Denver will place rookie wide receiver Juwann Winfree (hamstring) on injured reserve, according to multiple media reports. That’s a disappointing end to the season for Winfree, who was inactive for all but three games this year.

Peko (6-1, 305 pounds) originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon with the Broncos in 2016. He bounced back and forth between Denver and Buffalo’s active rosters and practice squads from 2016-2019 before landing in Indianapolis for a brief stint in November.

The 26-year-old Peko has dressed for 11 games in his career, totaling seven tackles. He is yet to start in a regular-season game in the NFL.

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Broncos injuries: Noah Fant returns to practice

Broncos tight end Noah Fant practiced on a limited basis Thursday.

After sitting out practice Wednesday, Denver Broncos tight end Noah Fant (hip/foot) was able to practice on a limited basis Thursday. The Broncos remain hopeful that Fant will be able to play against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Fant returned Thurday but right tackle Ja’Wuan James (knee), defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones (ankle), guard Ron Leary (concussion), wide receiver Juwann Winfree (hamstring), defensive end DeMarcus Walker (ankle) and inside linebacker Joe Jones (back) were held out of practice.

Elsewhere on Denver’s injury report, defensive end Adam Gotsis (knee), outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu (foot), inside linebacker Alexander Johnson (knee), outside linebacker Von Miller (knee), nose tackle Mike Purcell (shoulder/knee), and cornerback Isaac Yiadom (shoulder) are listed as limited.

For the Chiefs, cornerback Morris Claiborne (shoulder), defensive end Frank Clark (illness/shoulder) and cornerback Rashad Fenton (hamstring) were held out of practice. Running back Damien Williams (rib) and guard Andrew Wylie (shoulder) were limited. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes (hand) fully practiced Wednesday.

Sunday’s game will air on CBS at 11:00 a.m. MT (view the TV map here).

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