roster cuts – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Broncos sign linebacker Kristian Welch to 53-man roster

The Broncos have signed linebacker Kristian Welch to their 53-man roster. He has played 1,101 career snaps on special teams.

The Denver Broncos signed inside linebacker Kristian Welch to their 53-man roster on Thursday, the team announced.

To make room for Welch, Denver waived undrafted rookie linebacker Levelle Bailey. If he clears waivers, Bailey will presumably be a candidate to re-sign on the practice squad tomorrow (there’s one open spot remaining).

As for Welch, he is a fourth-year linebacker who entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa in 2020. After spending the first three years of his career with the Baltimore Ravens, Welch joined the Green Bay Packers last summer, initially on their practice squad.

Welch was later promoted to Green Bay’s active roster and he dressed for 14 games last fall, totaling six tackles. He has 27 career tackles in four seasons (57 games) in the NFL. Welch was likely signed primarily to contribute on special teams, where he has 1,101 career snaps.

Welch becomes the fourth inside linebacker on the 53-man roster, joining Alex Singleton, Cody Barton and Justin Strnad.

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Broncos waive rookie linebacker Levelle Bailey

The Broncos have waived rookie linebacker Levelle Bailey. There is presumably a new ILB on the way.

Story update: The Broncos announced Thursday that they have signed linebacker Kristian Welch to the 53-man roster. See our original post below.

Levelle Bailey’s time on the Denver Broncos’ 53-man roster was short-lived.

The undrafted rookie linebacker was waived on Thursday, two days after the initial 53-man squad was set, according to KPRC2-TV’s Aaron Wilson.

The Broncos will now hope that Bailey clears waivers. If he does, Denver can re-sign him to the practice squad (there’s one open spot remaining).

After waiving Bailey, the Broncos only have three inside linebackers left on the active roster: Alex Singleton, Cody Barton and Justin Strnad. The team presumably would not cut Bailey if they did not have a replacement linebacker on the way in.

One potential candidate could be Jonas Griffith, who was a surprise cut on Tuesday. Denver has been unable to sign Griffith to the practice squad over the last 48 hours as the linebacker weighs his 2024 options. It will be interesting to see if he’ll now get a spot back on the 53-man roster, or if the Broncos move on to a different linebacker.

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Why did Frank Crum make the Broncos’ 53-man roster?

Frank Crum made the Broncos’ 53-man roster after allowing three sacks in preseason. Those sacks didn’t tell the whole story.

When the Denver Broncos set their 53-man roster earlier this week, many fans were surprised to see undrafted free agent Frank Crum made the cut.

Crum, an offensive tackle out of Wyoming, seemingly struggled in preseason, allowing three sacks. Denver’s staff watched film of his entire summer, though, and they knew he was unlikely to clear waivers if the team attempted to drop him down to the practice squad.

“His tape has been really good,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said Wednesday. “We all saw two or three sacks, but it’s interesting when you sit up in that room and you just watch every snap from training camp and then the game, which we do. Not only of our own guys. Last night I think we finished at 1:30 in the morning and we were watching this player from another team, this player from another team, this player from another team and this player from our team.

“It gives you a better grasp as to where this guy is at. Certainly, he was a guy that we had to really battle in free agency on, but man his size and upside — he wasn’t one that we were considering [waiving]. We felt like he made this team. Then all week, we go through the process of who do we think can make it through waivers and it’s not a science.”

As Payton noted, Crum (6-8, 315 pounds) was one of the top college free agents available after the draft, and Denver had to beat out other clubs to sign him. The Broncos closed the deal by giving the offensive tackle $250,000 in guaranteed salary and a $25,000 signing bonus.

Crum had some growing pains in preseason, but Denver likes his long-term upside. Fans don’t have access to practice film and even if they did, one still has to know what to look for. Payton and Co. believe they’ve found a gem in Crum and while he still needs time to develop, he was not a cut candidate.

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20 ex-Broncos players have signed with NFL practice squads

A group of former Broncos including Kareem Jackson, KJ Hamler, Caden Sterns and Tim Patrick have landed on NFL practice squads this week.

After the dust settled following NFL roster cuts, clubs have started filling their practice squads. So far, 20 former Denver Broncos players have signed with practice squads this week, including ex-players from past years.

Here’s the list:

RB Mike Boone (Carolina Panthers)
RB Nate McCrary (Green Bay Packers)
WR Tim Patrick (Detroit Lions)
WR Brandon Johnson (Pittsburgh Steelers)
WR Jalen Virgil (Buffalo Bills)
WR KJ Hamler (Buffalo Bills)
WR Montrell Washington (Kansas City Chiefs)
OL Elijah Wilkinson (Atlanta Falcons)
OL Sam Mustipher (Los Angeles Chargers)
OL Henry Byrd (Minnesota Vikings)
OL Sebastian Gutierrez (San Francisco 49ers)
DT McTelvin Agim (Indianapolis Colts)
DL Elijah Garcia (New York Giants)
DL Kyle Peko (Detroit Lions)
DL PJ Mustipher (Arizona Cardinals)
DT Haggai Ndubuisi (Washington Commanders)
OLB Thomas Incoom (Carolina Panthers)
CB Art Green (New York Giants)
DB Kareem Jackson (Buffalo Bills)
DB S Caden Sterns (Philadelphia Eagles)

So far, only two players cut by Denver this week — offensive tackle Demontrey Jacobs (New England Patriots) and running back Samaje Perine (Kansas City Chiefs) — have landed on an active roster.

As for their own practice squad, the Broncos have filled 16 of 17 spots so far. The final spot should be filled soon.

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Sean Payton had a surprising reaction to Samaje Perine joining a division rival

Samaje Perine joined the Chiefs after being cut by the Broncos, but coach Sean Payton will still root for him — just not against Denver.

After the Denver Broncos released Samaje Perine earlier this week, the veteran running back quickly joined the Kansas City Chiefs, a division rival.

After practice on Wednesday, Broncos coach Sean Payton was asked if stung to see a cut player join a division rival.

“Listen, it all stings when they go on,” Payton said. “And yet when I say this, and I mean this: having coached a number of players that have gone on, I can think of so many — Alex Anzalone, Trey Hendrickson, Marcus Williams, Reggie Bush to the Dolphins, Samaje — you root for them.

“I want them to do well. I really do. Now not against us, but you want to see them have success because you’ve invested in them. Then there’s an attachment with that time you’ve coached them.”

Payton was also happy to see wide receiver Tim Patrick land with the Detroit Lions because they are coached by Dan Campbell, one of Payton’s good friends.

The NFL is a business and winning leads to job security for coaches, but Payton’s still human. He wants to see his players have success, even if it’s with another team. Just not against the Broncos.

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Broncos officially sign massive tight end to practice squad

The Broncos have officially signed massive TE Donald Parham to their practice squad.

After setting a 53-man roster on Tuesday, the Denver Broncos announced their first 15 practice squad signings on Wednesday.

One reported signing that was not yet official on Wednesday was that of tight end Donald Parham, who had to travel to Colorado to join the club. The 15 players that the club announced Wednesday were all cut by Denver earlier in the week and were still in the area and available to sign immediately.

Now the Parham signing is also official as the Broncos announced his addition to the practice squad on Thursday morning.

Parham is a massive (6-8, 237 pounds) tight end who spent the last four years with the Los Angeles Chargers. The 27-year-old tight end totaled 67 receptions for 764 yards and 11 touchdowns in 47 games (23 starts) with the Chargers before landing in Denver.

New #Broncos TE Donald Parham gives them a big red zone threat at 6'8. He has 11 career TD receptions and is likely someone we see active on game days at times this season pic.twitter.com/2U2OpX3nIV

— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) August 28, 2024

The Broncos have now officially made 16 of their 17 practice squad additions. One more spot is yet to be filled.

Broncos practice squad signings

RB Tyler Badie
WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
WR Michael Bandy
WR David Sills
TE Donald Parham
TE Thomas Yassmin
FB Michael Burton
OL Will Sherman
OL Nick Garguilo
OL Calvin Throckmorton
DT Jordan Miller
DL Matt Henningsen
OLB Dondrea Tillman
CB Reese Taylor
DB Quinton Newsome
DB Tanner McCalister

The final spot is likely being held for linebacker Jonas Griffith, who was surprisingly cut by Denver on Tuesday. Griffith is yet to decide on which team’s practice squad to join ahead of the 2024 season.

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Revisiting the Broncos’ 53-man roster after the dust settles

After the dust settled following a flurry of roster moves, here’s another look at the Broncos’ 53-man roster.

After setting an initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, the Denver Broncos were not awarded any players off the waiver wire on Wednesday (but they did lose one player). So after sorting through waivers and nearly finalizing their practice squad, the Broncos’ current active roster is unchanged from Tuesday’s initial squad. Here’s a quick recap.

Quarterback (3)

Bo Nix	QB	10
Jarrett Stidham	QB	8
Zach Wilson	QB	4

Perhaps the Broncos could field calls from QB-needy teams during the season. Denver will be able to have three QBs available on game days this fall, but coach Sean Payton will hope there’s never an emergency that calls for more than just one to play.

Running back (4)

Javonte Williams	RB	33
Jaleel McLaughlin	RB	38
Audric Estime	RB	23
Blake Watson	RB	28

The Broncos also signed Tyler Badie to the practice squad, so the backfield depth looks good going into the regular season.

Tight end/fullback (4)

Nate Adkins	FB/TE	45
Greg Dulcich	TE	80
Adam Trautman	TE	82
Lucas Krull	TE	85

Denver will improve its tight end depth when Donald Parham is officially signed to the practice squad.

Wide receiver (5)

Courtland Sutton	WR	14
Marvin Mims	WR	19
Josh Reynolds	WR	11
Troy Franklin	WR	16
Devaughn Vele	WR	81

Tim Patrick went to the Detroit Lions and the Broncos were unable to re-sign Brandon Johnson and Jalen Virgil to the practice squad. Denver did bring back Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Michael Bandy and David Sills on the practice squad.

Offensive line (9)

Mike McGlinchey	OT	69
Garett Bolles	OT	72
Frank Crum	OT	73
Alex Palczewski	OT	63
Matt Peart	T/G	79
Quinn Meinerz	G	77
Ben Powers	G	74
Luke Wattenberg	C/G	60
Alex Forsyth	C/G	54

Denver lost offensive tackle Demontrey Jacobs on the waiver wire on Wednesday. The Broncos did re-sign Will Sherman, Calvin Throckmorton and seventh-round pick Nick Gargiulo to the practice squad.

Defensive line (6)

Zach Allen	DE	99
John Franklin-Myers	DE	98
D.J. Jones	DL	93
Malcolm Roach	DL	97
Eyioma Uwazurike	DL	96
Jordan Jackson	DL	94

Denver’s defensive line depth got even deeper when Jordan Miller and Matt Henningsen re-signed on the practice squad.

Outside linebacker (4)

Baron Browning	OLB	5
Jonathon Cooper	OLB	0
Nik Bonitto	OLB	42
Jonah Elliss	OLB	52

Dondrea Tillman dominated in the UFL this spring and looked good in preseason this summer, and he was a quality addition to the practice squad on Wednesday.

Inside linebacker (4)

Alex Singleton	ILB	49
Cody Barton	ILB	55
Justin Strnad	ILB	40
Levelle Bailey	ILB	56

At the time this post is being written, Jonas Griffith is still deciding which team to join. It’s possible he returns on Denver’s practice squad.

Cornerback (6)

Pat Surtain	CB	2
Ja’Quan McMillian	CB	29
Riley Moss	CB	21
Levi Wallace	CB	39
Kris Abrams-Draine	CB	31
Tremon Smith	CB	1

The Broncos made Reese Taylor one of their first practice squad signings on Wednesday, adding even more depth at the position.

Safety (5)

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Devon Key	DB	26
Keidron Smith	DB	43
Brandon Jones	S	22
P.J. Locke	S	6
JL Skinner	S	34

Tanner McCalister is also back on the practice squad.

Special teams (3)

Wil Lutz	K	3
Riley Dixon	P	9
Mitchell Fraboni	LS	48

No surprises on special teams.

Not on the active roster (3)

Broncos safety Delarrin Turner-Yell (ACL) and linebacker Drew Sanders (Achilles) are on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, and cornerback Damarri Mathis (ankle) is on the short-term injured reserve list. Those three players will not count against the 53-man roster and will be eligible to return after four games.

Bring on the Seattle Seahawks.

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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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Chiefs released 2023 draft pick CB Nic Jones on Wednesday

Kansas City #Chiefs released 2023 draft pick CB Nic Jones on Wednesday | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs’ initial selections for the 53-man roster aren’t yet in the clear as the front office continues to make adjustments.

According to the team’s transactions log, Kansas City has released cornerback Nic Jones. The 2023 seventh-round draft selection became expendable following the waiver claim of defensive back Eric Scott.

Jones played nine games during his lone season with the Chiefs, collecting four tackles. He was among the many young defensive backs competing for limited spots in the secondary. The Ball State standout showed flashes of promise in training camp last year, but they didn’t translate immediately during his limited time on the field.

The 6-foot, 185-pound cornerback was selected 250th overall because of his excellent ball skills and versatility, with snaps inside and outside on defense. He also stood out as a strong special teams performer, catching Kansas City’s attention.

Nic Jones picks off Mahomes during 7-on-7 pic.twitter.com/bThappXiOr

— KC Sports Network (@KCSportsNetwork) July 25, 2023

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has managed to retain several players cut over the last 24 hours to the practice squad. There will continue to be movement as the team seeks the best personnel ahead of Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens.

What became of ex-Broncos safety Caden Sterns during NFL roster cuts?

Caden Sterns was waived by the Eagles with a non-football injury on Tuesday, but Philly re-signed him to its practice squad on Wednesday.

August was a trying month for safety Caden Sterns.

The 24-year-old safety was waived by the Denver Broncos on Aug. 5 after the team failed to find a trade partner for him. Thus ended a three-year run in Denver that included 28 games missed due to injury in a two-year span.

It initially appeared that Sterns landed on his feet quickly as the Carolina Panthers claimed him off waivers on Aug. 6. But the Panthers later waived Sterns on Aug. 8 with a failed physical designation.

Three days later, Sterns got another opportunity when the Philadelphia Eagles signed him on Aug. 11. In Philly, Sterns reunited with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who served as Denver’s head coach when the safety was a rookie with the Broncos in 2021.

Sterns did not play in either of the Eagles’ two preseason games after he signed, and Philadelphia waived him with a non-football injury designation on Tuesday. Fortunately, that was not the end of the road for Sterns’ career.

Sterns was one of 14 players to sign with the Eagles’ practice squad on Wednesday. Still looking to get his knee healthy, Sterns will have the support of an NFL team’s medical team going into the 2024 season. Time will tell if he’s able to get back on the field later this fall.

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