Broncos Notes: Keenum, Draft, Joseph, OL
Case Keenum‘s gotten off to a rough start with the Broncos, going from being the No. 1 DVOA quarterback during a potential outlier 2017 season to sitting 24th in that metric and 31st in Total QBR through five games this season. However, this is unlikely to produce a Chad Kelly promotion in the near future, with Albert Breer of SI.com noting the sense he’s getting is any such switch won’t come until the team falls out of contention. Denver won its first two games but has lost its past three, and Vance Joseph is now 1-9 on the road after the Broncos dropped Week 3 and Week 5 games in Baltimore and New Jersey. The Broncos may have discussed Kelly, who has never attempted a regular-season pass but fared well in the preseason. But Breer adds Joseph and John Elway are tied to Keenum thanks to the $25MM in fully guaranteed money the journeyman passer’s making on his current deal. Keenum’s on pace to throw more than 600 passes, and the Broncos have oddly turned to the weaker component of their offense more so than committing to their strong ground attack that ranks third (137 yards per game).
Here’s the latest out of Denver:
- It’s likely Elway will have to look for yet another post-Peyton Manning solution in 2019, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes. The Broncos have cycled through an unlikely successor (Trevor Siemian), a spectacular first-round misstep (Paxton Lynch), a retread (Brock Osweiler) and now Keenum. Elway and Broncos player personnel director Matt Russell are in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday for a Washington-Oregon game that features possible top 2019 QB prospect Justin Herbert, Mike Klis of 9News reports. Several teams are in attendance for this Pac-12 matchup, per Klis, who adds the Broncos figure to be looking at cornerbacks and tackles as early-round possibilities as well.
- An interesting indictment of Pro Football Focus appears to be coming out of Denver this week. The acclaimed advanced-metrics site has Broncos right guard Connor McGovern rated as the No. 4 overall guard in football (and No. 1 in run-blocking), but OC Bill Musgrave said (via Klis) Max Garcia will take some of McGovern’s snaps this week against the Rams. McGovern struggled at times against Leonard Williams, and Garcia — a starter from 2016-17 and a player not graded nearly as well by PFF — may start this week, per Joseph, against the Rams’ menacing defensive front. This would be a curious move for a team that’s running the ball as well as it is.
- Volin also doesn’t view Broncos president Joe Ellis‘ statement this week as a ringing Joseph endorsement, pointing to the team’s once-vaunted defense struggling against the run vs. Jets backs and entering Week 6 with just 11 sacks (19th) despite having used a No. 5 overall pick on Bradley Chubb. Elway hired Joseph, a career defensive-based coach, after one season of DC experience. The Broncos’ pre-Week 10 bye slate features a home game against the Rams, a Thursday road assignment in Arizona, a road matchup in Kansas City and a return home to face the Texans. With Joseph looking like a two-and-done coach at this point, this will be a pivotal stretch for the embattled leader.
Broncos Back Head Coach Vance Joseph
The Broncos have given Vance Joseph the dreaded vote of confidence. On Thursday, Broncos president and CEO Joe Ellis backed the second-year head coach when asked about his job security. 
“They know the deal,” Ellis said (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic). “They experienced it last year. They know what needs to be done to fix it and move forward and try to improve and get better, and play some good football for the remaining eleven games. We’re all pulling for and supporting him and we’ll see where it goes.”
The Broncos slipped to 2-3 on the season when they lost 34-16 to the lowly Jets. Things won’t get any easier here, as the Broncos will face the 5-0 Rams on Sunday.
The stats show that the Broncos have improved on offense, but the defense has been woeful, ranking 26th in the league. The Broncos could easily place the blame on Joseph for that, especially since he is a former defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator.
If Joseph were to lose his job in October it would be an extremely quick hook for the 46-year-old. Joseph has spent 21 games as the Broncos’ head coach, but the team has gone 7-14 in that span.
Broncos Notes: Woods, Roby, Johnson
- Although Broncos head coach Vance Joseph said he’d make changes following a loss to the Jets on Sunday, defensive coordinator Joe Woods will not be relieved of his play-calling duties, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). Denver gave up 512 yards of offense against New York, including a whopping 334 on the ground. Joseph, a former defensive coordinator himself, could potentially take over play-calling, but that’s not a move that will happen this week. Joseph also indicated that cornerback Bradley Roby, who was burned by Jets receiver Robby Anderson in Week 5, is still a starter “for now.” Adam Jones, who’s played on roughly a third of the Broncos’ defensive snaps thus far, could see more snaps if Roby is benched.
- Broncos linebacker Alexander Johnson pleaded guilty to simple possession and failure to exercise due care while driving but subsequently had a DUI charge against him dismissed, per a report from the Associated Press. Johnson’s original arrest occurred in the summer of 2017, more than a year before Denver gave him $50K in guaranteed money to sign as an undrafted free agent. A Tennessee product, Johnson hadn’t played football in more than four years before landing with the Broncos, in part due to a rape charge of which he was later acquitted. He’s been inactive for every game in 2018.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/10/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Deatrick Nichols
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Brandon Chubb
- Released: QB Connor Cook
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: DB Demetrious Cox
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DB Jeremiah McKinnon
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Darius Jackson
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB Jeremy McNichols
Houston Texans
- Signed: TE Jerell Adams
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Tray Matthews, DE Al-Quadin Muhammad
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: FB Dimitri Flowers
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: S Leon McQuay, TE David Wells
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: CB Jeff Richards, LB Tre’von Johnson
- Released: CB Channing Stribling, T Jamar McGloster
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Travis Rudolph
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Jordan Morgan, WR Roger Lewis, RB Dalyn Dawkins
Su'a Cravens Expected To Return To Practice Next Week
- Su’a Cravens is currently sitting on the injured reserve with a knee injury, but Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic tweets that the Broncos safety is expected to return to practice next week. The 23-year-old is eligible to return following his team’s game against the Rams this weekend, and the organization will have three weeks to activate him. The 2016 second-round pick was acquired from the Redskins back in March, and he’ll be looking to crack a depth chart that already includes Darian Stewart, Justin Simmons, and Will Parks.
[SOURCE LINK]
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/8/18
Here are Monday’s practice squad decisions:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DT Christian Ringo
Denver Broncos
- Signed: NT Niles Scott
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Hakeem Valles
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: C Aaron Neary
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Frank Herron, LB Calvin Munson
- Cut: RB Ralph Webb, DL Vincent Valentine
New York Jets
- Signed: DL Bronson Kaufasi
- Cut: T Dieguot Joseph
Jaguars Expected To Sign RB David Williams Off Broncos’ Practice Squad
Leonard Fournette is out because of a persistent hamstring problem, and the Jaguars just received news Corey Grant is going to miss the rest of the season. They plan to look outside to patch up this situation.
The Jags intend to sign David Williams off the Broncos’ practice squad, Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post reports (on Twitter). The Broncos selected Williams in the seventh round of this year’s draft out of Arkansas.
Williams did not make Denver’s 53-man roster, seeing Phillip Lindsay quickly usurp him en route to the team’s 53-man unit. The Broncos cut both Williams and De’Angelo Henderson after preseason play. Henderson landed on the Jets’ practice squad, and Williams stayed in Denver on the Broncos’ 10-man taxi squad.
Jacksonville currently has T.J. Yeldon and recent practice squad promotion Brandon Wilds as its only healthy backs. Williams would add a third name to that contingent. Fournette remains on the active roster but is expected to miss more time.
Broncos Release P Marquette King
The Broncos formally released Marquette King, the punter tells Jim Trotter of NFL.com (on Twitter). This was the expected move after the club placed King on IR last week.
King, one of the most well-known punters in NFL history, has opted against having surgery for his abductor injury. Instead, he’ll rest and rehabilitate his injury over the next three months, a plan that will still rule out playing in 2018.
King wound up with the Broncos in April after the rival Raiders released him. The 29-year-old could have earned up to $7MM in incentives over the course of his three-year deal, but he’ll leave Denver with something closer to $1.5MM after his early exit.
King’s 20 punts traveled an average of 44.1 yards this season, which ranks 22nd in the NFL. However, he managed to place seven punts inside the 20-yard line, placing him just outside of the top 10. Head coach Vance Joseph was critical of his lackluster performance against the Chiefs, but the injury was likely to blame.
Without King, the Broncos are moving forward with Colby Wadman as their punter.
Agent: Marquette King Injured During OTAs
- The short Marquette King era in Denver is winding down. Intending to release the veteran punter via injury settlement when he recovers from his groin injury, the Broncos will also eat $1.5MM of King’s $2MM 2018 salary, 9News’ Mike Klis tweets. Neither Vance Joseph nor Broncos ST coordinator Tom McMahon attributed King’s struggles (44.1 yards per punt, 23rd in the NFL) to the groin malady. But King’s agent, Wynn Silberman, said his client encountered the injury during the offseason. “The injury clearly developed in OTAs, but Marquette wanted to fight through it and help the team,’’ Silberman said, via Klis. “He’s disappointed he couldn’t contribute more.” King will visit a San Jose, Calif.-based doctor on Monday, Silberman said. King, 29, averaged 47.4 yards per punt during his final Raiders season. The Broncos traded their previous punter, Riley Dixon, to the Giants after acquiring King.
Broncos Place P Marquette King On IR
It sounds like Marquette King‘s tenure in Denver has come to an end. Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post reports (via Twitter) that the punter will be placed on the injured reserve. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver tweets that the organization plans to release the punter when he’s healthy in a couple of weeks. Punter Colby Wadman has been promoted from the practice squad to take the open roster spot.
The well-known punter was suddenly released by the Raiders back in April, with reports indicating that head coach Jon Gruden wasn’t a fan of King’s outspoken personality. The 29-year-old received interest from the Vikings and Giants, but he ended up inking a three-year deal with the Broncos later that month. The deal was worth $2MM, and King could have made up to $7MM had he hit incentives.
King’s 20 punts have traveled an average of 44.1 yards this season, which ranks 22nd in the NFL. However, he has managed to place seven punts inside the 20-yard line, placing him just outside of the top-10. The punter apparently suffered a right thigh injury during Monday’s game against the Chiefs, and he was later listed as doubtful for this weekend’s contest. After Monday’s game, Vance Joseph called out King for his lackluster performance (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com), and the head coach didn’t attribute the ineffectiveness to the injury. King finished that game with three punts for 123 yards (41.0-yard average), including one 51-yarder and one punt placed inside the 20.
The 2012 undrafted free agent out of Fort Valley State led all punters in Pro Bowl fan voting last year. He was the NFL’s punting yards leader in 2014, and he earned a second-team All-Pro nod in 2016. Last year, King’s 47.4 yards per punt average was good for sixth in the NFL, and his net average of 42.7 yards was third.
Wadman, a 2017 undrafted free agent out of UC Davis, spent some time with the Raiders before joining the Broncos practice squad in September. During his final collegiate season in 2017, Wadman averaged 43.2 yards per punt.