practice squad – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Browns sign promising rookie off Commanders practice squad

Other teams are now signing players off Washington’s practice squad.

The Adam Peters effect is real. Since Peters was hired in January and reshaped the Commanders’ roster, other NFL teams are now signing players off Washington’s practice squad.

This week, the Cleveland Browns signed undrafted rookie cornerback Chigozie Anusiem off Washington’s practice squad to their 53-man roster. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound corner played collegiately at California before finishing his career at Colorado State.

After going undrafted in the 2024 NFL draft, the Commanders gave Anusiem a $50K signing bonus and a $300K base salary guarantee to sign with them as an undrafted free agent.

Anusiem showed promise throughout the offseason. While he didn’t make Washington’s initial 53-man roster, the Commanders quickly re-signed him to their practice squad. He has yet to appear in an NFL game.

Washington currently has five cornerbacks on the 53-man roster: Marshon Lattimore, Mike Sainristil, Benjamin St-Juste, Emmanuel Forbes and Michael Davis. While Lattimore has yet to make his Washington debut since being acquired in a trade two weeks ago, there is optimism he’ll be available in Week 12 vs. Dallas.

Recapping the 5 roster moves Broncos made ahead of Falcons game

Broncos FB Michael Burton is back on the 53-man roster and LB Zach Cunningham and DB Keidron Smith were elevated to the game-day roster.

The Denver Broncos made five roster moves this week ahead of their Week 11 showdown with the Atlanta Falcons, with three of those transactions involving the same player.

First, the Broncos waived safety Keidron Smith from the active roster on Tuesday. Denver then promoted fullback Michael Burton from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Wednesday. After he cleared waivers, Smith re-signed with the practice squad on Thursday.

Smith was then elevated to the game-day roster on Saturday alongside linebacker Zach Cunningham. Smith and Cunningham will revert back to the practice squad on Monday.

Broncos roster moves ahead of Week 11

Cut DB Keidron Smith from active roster
Promoted FB Michael Burton to active roster
Signed CB Keidron Smith to practice squad
Promoted LB Zach Cunningham to game-day roster
Promoted DB Keidron Smith to game-day roster

Sunday’s game will be regionally televised on Fox (view the TV map). Playing at home, the Broncos are considered slight favorites in Week 11.

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Broncos elevate 2 players from practice squad for Falcons game

The Broncos have elevated LB Zach Cunningham and DB Keidron Smith from the practice squad to the game-day roster for Week 11.

The Denver Broncos are calling up some reinforcements from the practice squad ahead of their Week 11 showdown with the Atlanta Falcons.

The Broncos elevated linebacker Zach Cunningham and safety Keidron Smith from the practice squad to the game-day roster on Saturday. They will revert back to the practice squad on Monday.

Players can be elevated up to three times during the season without having to clear waivers to return to the practice squad. This will mark Cunningham’s second elevation of the season and Smith’s first.

Last week, Cunningham played 22 snaps on special teams but did not get any reps on defense. Instead, the Broncos leaned on Cody Barton (68 snaps) and Justin Strnad (42 snaps). Cunningham and Lavelle Bailey were available as depth linebackers but only played on special teams.

Smith will continue to provide depth at safety after getting bumped down from the active roster to the practice squad earlier this week.

Sunday’s game will be regionally televised on Fox (view the TV map). Playing at home, the Broncos are considered slight favorites in Week 11.

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Broncos’ updated 17-player practice squad after roster moves

Michael Burton up, Keidron Smith down. Here’s a look at the Broncos’ updated practice squad.

The Denver Broncos made a change to their practice squad this week.

The first domino fell on Tuesday when the Broncos waived safety Keidron Smith from the active roster. Denver then promoted fullback Michael Burton from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Wednesday.

After he cleared waivers, Smith re-joined the team on the practice squad on Thursday. Burton and Smith essentially swapped places this week.

The NFL’s standard practice squad size limit is 16 players, but there’s an exception that allows an extra international player to not count against the limit. For Denver, Australian tight end Thomas Yassmin is an exception, giving the Broncos a 17-player practice squad.

So here’s the full list of 17 players on the squad after the recent moves.

Broncos 17-player practice squad

Two players can be elevated from the practice squad to the game-day roster each week.

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Broncos bring back recently-cut safety on practice squad

After being cut by the Broncos and clearing waivers, safety Keidron Smith returned to the team on the practice squad.

After being cut by the Denver Broncos on Tuesday, safety Keidron Smith returned to the team on Thursday and signed with the practice squad.

Denver had room for Smith on the practice squad after promoting fullback Michael Burton to the 53-man roster on Wednesday.

Smith (6-2, 210 pounds) led the team in tackles (10) and interceptions (two) during preseason. He also broke up two passes, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble this summer. After making the 53-man roster, the 25-year-old safety dressed for eight games this season, playing primarily on special teams.

The Broncos now have four safeties remaining on the active roster: Brandon Jones, P.J. Locke, Devon Key and JL Skinner. A fifth safety could soon join them as Delarrin Turner-Yell has returned to practice and he is eligible to be activated from the physically unable to perform list.

More roster moves could be on deck for Denver later this week with multiple players ready to return from injured reserve and the PUP list. We will track all of the team’s moves on Broncos Wire.

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Broncos make second roster move ahead of Falcons game

The Broncos promoted fullback Michael Burton from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Wednesday.

The Denver Broncos made their second roster move of the week on Wednesday by promoting fullback Michael Burton from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

Burton (5-11, 242 pounds) had maxed out his three practice squad elevations, so Denver had to promote him to the active roster so he can play against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Broncos had room for Burton on the active roster after waiving safety Keidron Smith on Tuesday.

Smith cleared waivers on Wednesday and he plans to return on the team’s practice squad, according to a report from the Denver Gazette‘s Chris Tomasson. Smith played in eight games this season, totaling six tackles. He played primarily on special teams.

Burton, 32, has played in all 10 games for the Broncos this season. Used primarily as a blocker, Burton has two carries and five catches on 100 offensive snaps this season. Burton has also played 179 snaps on special teams this fall.

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Broncos make first of several roster moves on deck this week

The Broncos waived safety Keidron Smith on Tuesday. More roster moves are on deck this week.

The Denver Broncos have made the first of at least two roster moves on deck this week ahead of their game against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Broncos waived safety Keidron Smith on Tuesday, the team announced. Smith (6-2, 210 pounds) is a 25-year-old defensive back who made the 53-man roster after impressing during preseason this summer. He dressed for eight games this fall, totaling six tackles. Smith played 11 snaps on defense and 107 snaps on special teams before being waived.

Denver now has four safeties remaining on the active roster: Brandon Jones, P.J. Locke, Devon Key and JL Skinner. Delarrin Turner-Yell is currently on the physically unable to perform list, but he returned to practice last week. Turner-Yell will have one more week of eligibility to return to the 53-man roster.

Broncos fullback Michael Burton and linebacker Kwon Alexander are both out of practice squad elevations, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see one of them promoted to the active roster to take Smith’s old spot. If he clears waivers, Denver will undoubtedly attempt to re-sign Smith to the practice squad.

In addition to Burton, Alexander and Turner-Yell, wide receiver Josh Reynolds (finger), linebacker Drew Sanders (Achilles) and running back Tyler Badie (back) are also candidates to return to the 53-man roster in the coming weeks. Denver will have to make room for the returning players, and Smith was the first domino to fall.

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Falcons sign cornerback who had brief stint with Broncos

The Falcons signed ex-Broncos cornerback Lamar Jackson to their practice squad ahead of Sunday’s game in Denver.

The Atlanta Falcons are signing a former Denver Broncos cornerback to their practice squad ahead of their game in Denver this week.

Atlanta has signed cornerback Lamar Jackson (not to be confused with the quarterback Lamar Jackson), via Matt Urben of Falcons Wire. It’s probably not a signing made to gain intel on their opponent because Jackson hasn’t played with the Broncos since 2022, and the team’s staff and scheme have changed over the last two years.

Jackson, 26, initially joined Denver’s practice squad in 2022 before later being promoted to the active roster. He dressed for three games with the Broncos and totaled three tackles. Jackson has recorded 31 tackles and four pass breakups in 23 career games (six starts) in the NFL.

Elsewhere on the ex-Bronco front, the New Orleans Saints released offensive lineman Connor McGovern on Monday, and the Miami Dolphins activated wide receiver River Cracraft from injured reserve. McGovern (2016-2019) and Cracraft (2017-2019) started their NFL careers in Denver.

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Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire shares Brett Veach story, preparing for game return

Kansas City #Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire shares Brett Veach story, preparing for game return | @EdEastonJr

The return of Clyde Edwards-Heaire to the Kansas City Chiefs is eagerly anticipated as he continues to work through PTSD. During a recent appearance on ‘The Pivot‘ podcast, the former Chiefs first-round pick described his preparation for returning to game action, helping the defense during practice and uplifting conversation with general manager Brett Veach.

“I’ve been doing everything that I that I can. I’ve been in every meeting and at every practice since I’ve been, you know, let off NFI,” Edwards-Helaire explained. “I was talking to (Brett) Veach, and he was like, Man, even though you’re not out there, you are on our 53. No other team would do that in the league. No other team would do that. Like man, I know what you bring.”

Since being taken off the NFI list, the former LSU star has been listed as inactive. The Chiefs’ running backs room continues to be led by Kareem Hunt while starter Isiah Pacheco recovers from injury.

“I think I’m showing everything that I need to do, like I’ve been on service, you know, P-Squad (Practice Squad), servicing the starters on our defense, making sure they good every week,” said Edwards-Helaire. “That’s a proud moment for me because I feel like our defense ain’t been letting up on anybody. So I’m like, I’m doing the things that I need to do for our team to be successful as much as I can in this spot.”

Last season, Edwards-Helaire started three of the 15 games he played, tallying 223 yards rushing and 188 yards receiving. He had one touchdown as a runner and another as a receiver.

“As soon as they flick that two or five light, for me to get on with the ones and be able to be out there and showcase with our guys who’ve been rolling,” said Edwards-Helaire, “they going to get Clyde, full-blown I mean, and I think the biggest thing was me, was just finding peace within myself and I think I found it.”

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Vzj2XTWKLMY

Edwards-Helaire will eventually rejoin a productive running back room on the active game roster. Kansas City has been one of the best-rushing teams in the league this season.

Sean Payton says young players struggle to understand NFL’s roster puzzle

“The hardest thing for a young player is understanding the pro roster, the inactives, the gameday and the practice squad,” Sean Payton said.

The Denver Broncos will have to do some roster juggling in the coming weeks.

The Broncos had an open roster spot for center Luke Wattenberg to return from injured reserve this week after trading outside linebacker Baron Browning, but the team will need to create more space soon.

In addition to Wattenberg, Denver also has six other players who will likely return to the 53-man roster sooner than later. While bracing for the possibility of future injuries, the Broncos will attempt to maximize their roster flexibility by utilizing practice squad elevations.

This week, for example, Denver elevated linebacker Zach Cunningham from the practice squad to the game-day roster because fellow linebacker Kwon Alexander has already used up his three elevations this season. The Broncos do not yet have room for Alexander on the active roster, so Cunningham is using the first of his three possible elevations.

Denver coach Sean Payton said the roster juggling is one of the hardest things for young players to understand during the season.

“I think the hardest thing for a young player is understanding the pro roster, the inactives, the gameday and the practice squad,” Payton said on Friday. “They’ve just come from — there’s 105, 110 players and doubled up numbers [in college]. You look at an NFL sideline on game day, it’s pretty thin. There’s more people that aren’t playing within our sideline box — sometimes drives me crazy — but more people [than players] when there’s 11 on the field.

“There’s moving parts. Three maximum practice squad elevations for a player then you have to make a decision. We think such-and-such is coming back on to the roster, we have to make a decision. So I think it’s hard. I talked to some of the younger players yesterday. Even where you just bring them in and show them the depth chart and you show them the columns of inactives, practice squad, here’s the 53 [man roster], here’s short-term injury reserve and long-term injury reserve. I think it’s hard for anyone to understand that puzzle.”

The pieces of the puzzle change throughout the season as players suffer injuries and the Broncos move players up and down from the practice squad. With several players waiting to return from IR and the PUP list, more transactions are on deck for Denver in the coming weeks.

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