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Denver Broncos News & Rumors

LB Avery Williamson Expected To Sign With Titans

October 12th, 2021 at 5:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Avery Williamson is heading to Tennessee. The veteran linebacker was granted his release from the Broncos practice squad and will be signing with the Titans active roster, according to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter).

Williamson’s stint in Denver lasted only a week; he signed with the organization last Tuesday. Now, he’ll be rejoining the Titans after having spent the first four seasons of his career in Tennessee. During that time, Williamson started 59 of his 63 games, collecting 376 tackles and 11.5 sacks.

The Jets gave Williamson a nice contract in 2018, signing the former fifth-round pick for three years and $22.5MM. The linebacker missed the 2019 season after suffering a torn ACL, and he split the 2020 campaign between the Jets and Steelers. He ultimately saw time in 15 games (10 starts) last season, collecting 111 tackles and one sack.

With Jayon Brown recently landing on injured reserve, the Titans were looking for some veteran reinforcement at linebacker. Williamson will certainly fit that bill, and there’s a good chance he sticks around Tennessee even when Brown returns.

WR John Brown To Sign With Broncos PS

October 12th, 2021 at 4:44pm CST by Ben Levine

John Brown has found his next NFL gig. The free agent wideout is finalizing a deal to join the Broncos practice squad, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).

Las Vegas signed the veteran speedster earlier this year and guaranteed him more than $3MM, but Brown later requested (and was granted) his release. Since being let go in late August, the receiver had one reported visit with the Falcons.

The 31-year-old has seen time in seven NFL seasons with the Cardinals, Ravens, and Bills. He had 1,067 yards from scrimmage only two seasons ago, but he followed that up with a disappointing 2020 campaign (458 yards from scrimmage, three touchdowns). Now, he’ll be looking to revitalize his career in Denver. As Mike Klis of 9News points out (on Twitter), Brown “has sickle cell trait,” which can be a concern at high altitude. Of course, both the organization and the player are apparently not concerned about that being an issue.

Brown could have a chance to stick around Denver with Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler sidelined. The Broncos depth chart is currently led by Courtland Sutton, with the likes of Tim Patrick, Kendall Hinton, Diontae Spencer, and David Moore also vying for targets.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/12/21

October 12th, 2021 at 1:57pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: OL Austen Pleasants

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Teddy Bridgewater Clears Concussion Protocol

October 10th, 2021 at 8:49am CST by Rory Parks

Broncos QB Teddy Bridgewater has cleared the concussion protocol, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). With that, the veteran passer will start Denver’s Week 5 matchup against the Steelers this afternoon.

Bridgewater, acquired in an April trade with the Panthers, bested Broncos’ 2019 second-rounder Drew Lock in this summer’s quarterback competition, and he led Denver to a 3-0 start to the 2021 campaign. The three teams he defeated — the Giants, Jaguars, and Jets — boasted a combined 0-9 record going into last week, so the early-season success for Bridgewater and the Broncos came with something of an asterisk, but the QB and his team did exactly what they needed to do against weaker competition.

Their winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Ravens last week, a game that Bridgewater was forced to leave early due to a concussion. Prior to that, he completed seven of 16 passes for 65 yards and a touchdown.

Although Bridgewater did not do much in his time on the field, Lock’s relief performance did nothing to make head coach Vic Fangio think twice about turning the reins back over to his QB1 as soon as he cleared protocol. Lock appeared indecisive and could not generate any momentum, finishing 12 of 21 for 113 yards and an interception. Denver ultimately lost by a 23-7 score.

It is still unclear whether Bridgewater will have one of his top receiving weapons, wide receiver Courtland Sutton, joining him on the field in Pittsburgh today. Sutton, who rolled his ankle at practice on Thursday, will be a game-time decision, per Schefter.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/9/21

October 9th, 2021 at 4:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is Week 5 Saturday’s minor move spree:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

  • Promoted: TE Shane Zylstra

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Broncos Activate CB Ronald Darby

October 9th, 2021 at 3:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

SATURDAY: The Broncos are activating Darby from IR. Though Surtain is questionable for Week 5, Denver might have its top four cornerbacks available against Pittsburgh. But the team will be without another of its pass catchers going forward. The Broncos placed tight end Albert Okwuegbunam on IR Saturday. The second-year tight end, who missed most of last season with an ACL tear, is dealing with a hamstring ailment.

WEDNESDAY: Amid a rough stretch on the health front, the Broncos received some positive injury news Wednesday. Ronald Darby returned to practice, starting his 21-day window for a re-emergence from injured reserve.

The Broncos placed Darby on IR following a Week 1 hamstring injury, depleting the team’s cornerback surplus. But the former Philadelphia and Washington corner may be on track to return at first chance this week in Pittsburgh. Teams have three weeks to activate players designated to return or they revert to season-ending IR.

Although the Broncos signed Kyle Fuller, they inked Darby to a three-year deal. Darby and Patrick Surtain II represent the team’s long-term cornerback investments. Surtain, however, has taken Darby’s place in the starting lineup and played fairly well. It will be interesting to see how the Broncos proceed with their $10MM-per-year corner and their No. 9 overall pick. Surtain did suffer a chest injury late in the Broncos’ Week 4 loss; Denver deemed its prized rookie day to day.

The Broncos have lost two more starting defenders — Bradley Chubb and Josey Jewell — since Darby’s injury and finished Sunday’s loss without five offensive first-stringers, including a concussed Teddy Bridgewater.

Broncos To Add LB Avery Williamson To Practice Squad

October 5th, 2021 at 5:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos are adding another experienced linebacker. After bringing Micah Kiser in, the team is signing veteran Avery Williamson to its practice squad, Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post tweets.

Denver worked out Williamson and Dylan Cole on Tuesday, Mike Klis of 9News tweets, and will give the taxi squad spot to the former.

This has been a mostly quiet year for Williamson, whom the Jets traded to the Steelers just ahead of last year’s deadline. After not being connected to a team this offseason, Williamson did audition for the Jets’ new regime recently. He will join a Broncos team that is down starter Josey Jewell for the season.

Denver has used second-year linebacker Justin Strnad in place of Jewell alongside Alexander Johnson as a starter on the inside but has added Kiser and will now have Williamson in the fold. Williamson, 29, has started 85 games as a pro, doing so with the Titans, Jets and Steelers.

The Jets gave Williamson a nice contract in 2018, signing the former fifth-round pick for three years and $22.5MM. He has four 100-plus-tackle seasons, with the most recent coming last season (111) after a missed 2019 campaign due to an ACL tear. Although Williamson is an off-ball linebacker, he has also been fairly prolific in rushing the quarterback. Williamson has 15.5 career sacks, with the 2020 season being the only one in which he did not record multiple QB drops.

Should Williamson be elevated to the Broncos’ active roster ahead of Sunday’s game, he would face the Steelers, who used him as a four-game starter following last year’s trade. Kiser and rookie third-rounder Baron Browning, however, are currently the team’s second-string linebackers. But reinforcements have been necessary across Denver’s lineup, which is missing several starters after an injury-plagued stretch.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/5/21

October 5th, 2021 at 5:38pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep tabs on today’s taxi squad moves here:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: DT T.J. Smith

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Football Team

Broncos’ Teddy Bridgewater In Concussion Protocol

October 4th, 2021 at 9:45am CST by Zachary Links

Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater entered concussion protocol after several big hits on Sunday. The veteran’s availability is now in question for Week 5, pending his recovery.

The Broncos’ undefeated start was brought to a halt by the Ravens on Sunday, who topped them 23-7. Bridgewater was knocked out early on, after completing seven of his 16 throws for 65 yards and a short-range touchdown. He was relieved by Drew Lock, who went 12-of-21 passes for 113 yards with one interception.

“Well, I think his performance was, you know, just like the rest of the offense — we just weren’t good enough today after the one touchdown drive,” head coach Vic Fangio said of Lock (via NFL.com). “We really could get nothing going. We weren’t getting it going with Teddy either after the touchdown drive. So, I think it’s more of a collective thing offensively than a quarterback thing.”

At minimum, Bridgewater will be withheld from practice for the next few days. It’s a frustrating setback for the 28-year-old (29 in November), who was off to a stellar start in 2021. Ditto for the Broncos, who have been eager to stabilize their QB situation. The Broncos have started ten players under center since Peyton Manning‘s post-2015 retirement. They’ve tried all possible avenues: free agency (Case Keenum, the second Brock Osweiler acquisition), the trade market (Joe Flacco, Bridgewater) and the draft (Lock, Paxton Lynch). After all of that, they’ve done no better than 9-7 since Manning left.

The 3-1 Broncos – potentially led by Lock — will face the Steelers in Week 5.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/2/21

October 2nd, 2021 at 4:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is Saturday’s batch of minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

  • Promoted: CB Cam Lewis

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

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