Latest On Broncos Ownership Situation
The ownership of the Broncos has been a hotly contested issue for years now, and it appears the fighting between various members of the Bowlen family might finally be reaching a boiling point. Owner Pat Bowlen has been unable to manage the team for a while now as he suffers from Alzheimer’s, and now Pat’s younger brother Bill Bowlen is suing the trust in charge of the team, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post.
The team had been placed into the trust, led by Broncos CEO Joe Ellis, which has been taking a very slow years-long approach to crowning a new controlling owner, in July of 2014. The battle within the family had been playing out mostly behind the scenes until recently, when it spilled out into the press. Just last week Bowlen’s 28-year-old daughter, Brittany Bowlen, confirmed her long-rumored desire to eventually take over the team. Some league executives and members of the Broncos organization are reportedly most bullish on her prospects as a future owner.
A different one of Bowlen’s daughters Beth Bowlen Wallace, 47, came out a few months ago and criticized Ellis for dragging his feet and said she wanted control of the team. Ellis responded by saying “we have determined that she is not capable or qualified at this time” in regard to Beth. Now Bill is suing the trust, asking the court to remove Ellis and the other members of the trust “due to their failure to uphold Pat Bowlen’s wishes and act in the best interest of Pat Bowlen, his family and the Broncos”, according to O’Halloran.
Troy Renck of Denver 7 tweets “Bill Bowlen has not had stake in Broncos for years” after selling his shares to Pat back in 2002 and writes that he doesn’t “see how he would have any enforceable right in this matter.” Renck also tweeted out the official response from the trust, which states that Bill is working with the same lawyers as Beth Bowlen Wallace. It appears as if Beth and Bill are working together to try and acquire control of the team before it is handed over to Brittany, who seems to be the most likely and preferred successor at this point.
It’s a messy situation, and one that has had a ripple effect in the front office. It’s thrown the team into limbo, and has contributed greatly to the job security of GM John Elway, as no one really has the authority to fire him currently. We should know more about the lawsuit soon, and it will be a very interesting story to watch play out.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/24/18
Today’s practice squad updates:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: G Sean Harlow
- Released: C J.C. Hassenauer
Denver Broncos
- Signed: QB Garrett Grayson, T Andreas Knappe
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Joel Bouagnon
- Released: TE Jerome Cunningham
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: QB Phillip Walker
- Released: G Will House
New York Giants
- Signed: S A.J. Howard
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DB Mark Myers
Broncos Promote Isaiah McKenzie
The Broncos announced the promotion of wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie from the practice squad to active roster. McKenzie will fill the roster spot vacated by Wednesday’s release of Chad Kelly. 
The Broncos had good reason to promote McKenzie to the varsity squad. The Bills were trying to sign the Georgia product recently, and the Broncos did not want to let McKenzie leave.
McKenzie, 23, was a fifth-round pick of the Broncos last year. He appeared in eleven games with the majority of his work coming on special teams. McKenzie returned 21 punts for 183 yards (8.7 yards per attempt) and three kickoffs for 50 yards.
For now, the Broncos are moving forward with Case Keenum and Kevin Hogan as their only quarterbacks on the roster. The Broncos may want to consider adding another QB to the mix soon, particularly given Keenum’s struggles this year.
Broncos Not Looking For New Backup QB
- The Broncos do not plan to sign a backup quarterback in the near future. While Mike Klis of 9News notes the team likely will add another signal-caller to either the active roster or practice squad, expect that player to now work behind previous No. 3 passer Kevin Hogan. “Kevin is the backup right now,” Vance Joseph said. “We’ll see as time progresses here. Kevin is fine. Kevin has played in games. He’s a smart guy; he’s picked it up quick and we have full confidence in Kevin.” Hogan is a career 59 percent passer who started one game and saw action in eight with the Browns from 2016-17. The Redskins waived him before the season began, and the Broncos’ subsequent claim led to Paxton Lynch‘s departure.
Jamaal Charles Likely Done With Football
Former Chiefs great Jamaal Charles says he has “probably” played his final down of football. In a post on Instagram, Charles hinted strongly at retirement. 
“I’m so thankful and grateful,” Charles wrote. “Thanks Jaguars for opportunity. It probably was my last chance putting on a jersey again.”
Charles was once one of the NFL’s most electrifying running backs. When he was young, healthy, and a member of the Chiefs, he had some brilliant seasons in Kansas City, including a 2010 campaign in which he ran for 1,467 yards and averaged 6.4 yards per carry. Unfortunately, time is not kind to running backs, and he has not topped 1,000 yards since the 2014 season due to aging and injuries.
This year, Charles hooked on with the Jaguars to help fill in for the injured Leonard Fournette. However, after the acquisition of Carlos Hyde, he was no longer needed. He’s technically a free agent, but it doesn’t sound like Charles will be seeking work.
Broncos Release QB Chad Kelly
Swag Kelly has been booted out of Denver. On Wednesday morning, the Broncos announced the release of the quarterback after a bizarre incident earlier in the week.
“This was a decision that we made as an organization,” President of Football Operations/General Manager John Elway said in a statement. “After reviewing all the information and in talking with Vance (Joseph) and Joe (Ellis), we agreed that releasing Chad was the right thing to do. “Even though Chad’s no longer part of our team, we’ve offered to help him however we can and are supportive of him in every possible way.”
On Monday night, Kelly attended a Halloween party hosted by Broncos star Von Miller. At the event, Kelly began acting in an aggressive manner, prompting security to pull him aside in an effort to get him to calm down (via Mike Klis of 9News). The QB called an audible and ran off the property instead, which is where the trouble began.
Just after 1am, Kelly traipsed into the home of a family he did not know, and sat down next to a woman who was holding her young child. The woman called for a man in the house, who came out and struck Kelly with an aluminum vacuum tube. Kelly returned to the party as it was dissipating and police arrived soon after to apprehend him.
Kelly’s history of bizarre off-the-field behavior undoubtedly played a role in the Broncos’ decision. Just a couple of weeks ago, Kelly had a shot at overtaking Case Keenum as the Broncos’ starter. Now, he hopes that another team will give him a chance at redemption.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/23/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Deatrick Nichols
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OG Sean Harlow
- Cut: C J.C. Hassenauer
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LB Brandon Bell
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: RB Devante Mays
Denver Broncos
- Cut: OG Avery Gennesy
Houston Texans
- Signed: OLB Daeshon Hall
- Cut: RB Josh Ferguson
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Rolan Milligan
- Cut: QB Phillip Walker
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Raymond Davison, T Pace Murphy
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR Austin Proehl
- Cut: WR Steven Mitchell
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Jalen Myrick, OT Adam Bisnowaty
- Cut: DT Curtis Cothran
- Placed on injured list: DE Jonathan Wynn
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: RB Donnel Pumphrey
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Aaron Burbridge
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DB Justin Currie, OG J.J. Dielman
- Cut: RB Lavon Coleman, LB Azeem Victor
Police Arrest Broncos QB Chad Kelly
Broncos backup quarterback Chad Kelly was charged with first-degree criminal trespassing by police in Englewood, Colorado (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). The incident took place at 1:17am on Tuesday morning, and may result in serious legal consequences for the Ole Miss product.
[RELATED: Broncos’ Emmanuel Sanders Drawing Interest]
Kelly was once considered to be one of the top QB prospects in the nation, but fell to the Broncos with the final pick in the 2017 draft due to character concerns. Naturally, the torn ACL and lateral meniscus that prematurely ended his senior season also played a role in his slide, but teams that would have still considered Kelly took him off of the board because of multiple red flags.
In 2014, Kelly was bounced from Clemson’s football program due to “conduct detrimental to the team.” Eight months later, he was arrested for allegedly punching a bouncer at a bar, threatening to open gun fire in said bar, and getting into fisticuffs with police upon his arrest. Kelly went from Clemson to Eastern Mississippi Community College to Ole Miss, and got into a brawl at a high school football game during his time with the Rebels.
There was a groundswell of fan support for Kelly to take the starting job from Case Keenum prior to the Broncos’ blowout of the Cardinals, but that seems extra unlikely to happen now. Depending on the specifics of the arrest, this could mark the end of Kelly’s time in Denver.
Broncos’ Emmanuel Sanders Drawing Interest
Teams are calling on Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. The Broncos would prefer to unload Demaryius Thomas‘ bloated contract, but Thomas wouldn’t net them much (or anything) in a trade that would effectively be a salary dump. 
This jibes with a previous report from Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who hears that the Broncos are willing to part with Thomas, but not Sanders. The Broncos are understandably reluctant to part with Sanders, who is on pace for nearly 1,300 yards this season. Thomas, meanwhile, has just 372 yards through seven games, making him more than expendable.
Teams could be intrigued by the possibility of Thomas getting back to his old form, but his contract is a major barrier. The 31-year-old is signed through 2019 with cap numbers of $12MM and $17.53MM in the next two years. Even teams with ample cap room would be wary of that obligation and would be unwilling to sacrifice much in the way of draft capital for the aging receiver.
Teams are also reportedly interested in cornerbacks Bradley Roby and Chris Harris, but it’s unclear as to whether the Broncos are willing to part with either player.
Broncos Will Likely Be Sold If Brittany Bowlen Does Not Become Controlling Owner
Yesterday, 28-year-old Brittany Bowlen publicly confirmed her interest in one day becoming the Broncos‘ controlling owner. As Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic tweets, however, Bowlen’s interest had been known for some time, yesterday just marked the first time she went public with her feelings. Jhabvala also confirms that, if Bowlen does not become the controlling owner, the Pat Bowlen Trust will likely sell the club to an outside buyer.