NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/22/17
Here are today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Alonzo Russell
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Demarcus Ayers
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OLB Stansly Maponga
Detroit Lions
- Signed: CB Adairius Barnes
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Bernard Reedy
Broncos To Start Paxton Lynch At QB
First, the Broncos made a change at offensive coordinator. Now, they’re making a big change under center. In Week 12, the Broncos will start Paxton Lynch at quarterback. Tuesday was an off day in Denver, so head coach Vance Joseph waited until Wednesday morning to deliver the news to the rest of his staff and the players. 
[RELATED: Broncos Fire OC Mike McCoy, Promote Bill Musgrave]
In some ways, this has been a long time coming for the 2016 first-round pick. In another sense, this was a quick ascension up the ladder. Last week, Paxton suited up for the very first time in 2017 as Brock Osweiler‘s backup with Trevor Siemian marked as a healthy scratch for the first time since Peyton Manning retired. This Sunday, Lynch will start, Siemian will serve as the QB2, and Osweiler will be left off of the active roster.
Last season, Lynch was on the field for three games and two starts. In that short sample, he completed 49 of 83 passes with two touchdowns against one interception. The Broncos have had some concerns about Lynch’s NFL readiness, but there’s no time like the present given their 3-7 record.
Last week, when discussing the possibility of starting Lynch, Joseph indicated that he would tailor the offensive game plan to the rookie’s strengths.
“That’s on the coaches and myself if he does play for us to make have a system that fits Paxton,” Joseph said Monday. “He’s practiced the last two weeks. Again guys, it won’t be soccer. It’s football for him. What he’s practiced the last couple weeks may be called a little different. It may be called more of the same stuff, but it’s just football, so he’ll be fine.”
Lynch’s first start of the season will come on Sunday against the Raiders.
The news was first reported by Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/21/17
Here are today’s practice squad moves.
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DE Nordly Capi
Denver Broncos
- Signed: DE Stansly Maponga
Houston Texans
- Signed: RB Troymaine Pope
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Adam Bighill
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: LB Brady Sheldon
Seattle Seahawks
- Cut: CB Alex Carter
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Cut: CB Senquez Golson
- Cut: T Justin Murray
Broncos Promote Musgrave, Klint Kubiak
- Following the firing of Mike McCoy as offensive coordinator, the Broncos promoted Bill Musgrave to the post and named Klint Kubiak quarterbacks coach, according to Schefter. The offensive coordinator in Oakland the last two seasons, Musgrave helped the Raiders produce one of the league’s most potent offenses in 2016. Kubiak, the son of former Broncos head coach and team senior personnel advisor Gary Kubiak, served as wide receivers coach at Kansas in 2015 before joining the Broncos as an assistant in 2016.
Broncos Fire OC Mike McCoy
There’s a big change going down in Denver. The Broncos have fired offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). To fill his spot, the Broncos are promoting assistant Bill Musgrave. 
The Broncos are now 3-7 following a tough loss to the Bengals on Sunday. Brock Osweiler, who recently took over as starting quarterback, threw for 254 yards with one touchdown and one interception while completing 23 of 42 passes. His so-so day wasn’t enough to power the offense, particularly since the run game never really got going. Devontae Booker finished out as the top rusher with 44 yards off of 14 carries followed by 37 yards from 13 attempts by C.J. Anderson. Their averages of 3.1 and 2.8 yards per carry, respectively, were the latest examples of offensive futility in Denver.
“I’m disappointed that things didn’t work out because this is a special organization and a great place to be,” McCoy said in a statement released by the team. “I want to thank Vance [Joseph] for the opportunity he gave me and the entire organization from Mr. B all the way on down. I appreciate the hard work of our players and was proud to work with them along with the rest of our coaching staff. My family and I loved it here, and I’m very thankful for my time with the Denver Broncos.”
Musgrave spent the past two seasons as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator before the team opted against offering him a new contract in January. Under Musgrave’s command in 2016, the Raiders had the No. 6 ranked offense in the NFL. This offseason, he reportedly turned down offensive coordinator jobs elsewhere to join Denver as the quarterbacks coach. Today, his patience paid off.
As Adam Schefter of ESPN.com notes (Twitter link), McCoy has been fired from NFL jobs twice inside of ten months.
Broncos Frustrated with Offensive Scheme
- The Broncos suffered their sixth straight loss at the hands of the Bengals after starting out 3-1 to start the season. The team has shifted to backup Brock Osweiler and could be looking to implement second-year quarterback Paxton Lynch at some point in the remaining six weeks of the season. However, apart from the QB problems, the team is apparently dealing with pushback from players regarding their current offensive scheme, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Sources tell the reporter that players are starting to show frustration with the way the offense is running. The team does have two very good receivers in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, but there are a ton of holes throughout the unit that schemes won’t hide. We’ll see how first-year head coach Vance Joseph reacts to the losing streak, but it’s turning out that this is a lost season for the Super Bowl 50 champions.
Could Broncos Be Landing Spot For Tyrod Taylor?
Indeed, aside from the $6MM roster bonus, Taylor is owed a fairly modest $10MM base salary, and it’s not as if the free agent QB market is likely to set the world on fire. Plus, there will be plenty of teams who are unable to address their QB needs in the draft. La Canfora names the Jaguars, Broncos, Cardinals, and Saints as potential landing spots for Taylor, and he says the Bills will be doing their own homework on the 2018 quarterback draft class. He also says the Bills could continue to look to trade Cordy Glenn this offseason.
Elway Offers Support For Joseph
The Broncos have authored one of their worst modern-era stretches over the past five weeks, with now both their offense and defense struggling. John Elway lobbed some criticism at the team he put together.
“I think we got a little bit soft. To be dead honest with you, we got a little bit soft,” the Broncos GM said, via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. “We went 4-0 in preseason; we started out 3-1; we get a bye week, and if you exhale in this league, you’re in trouble. To be dead honest with you, I think we exhaled and it’s hard to recover from that.”
However, the seventh-year front office leader offered support for Vance Joseph despite the first-year coach having the Broncos in danger of their first sub-.500 season in seven years. The Broncos’ schedule eases up after the Chiefs-Eagles-Patriots gauntlet, with the Bengals making a trip to Denver in on Sunday, but Joseph may profile as a one-and-done candidate if this pace continues. The Broncos have lost all five games by at least 10 points. Elway threw some cold water on that prospect, though.
Paxton Lynch To Be Active In Week 11
The Broncos have dressed the same two quarterbacks throughout the season, but on Sunday against the Bengals, the reeling team is set to change its structure.
Paxton Lynch will suit up for the first time this season, Mike Klis of 9News reports (on Twitter), adding that Trevor Siemian will be a healthy scratch for the first time since Peyton Manning retired.
Having lost five games in a row — each by double digits — the Broncos appear to be reaching the point of a rare season out of playoff contention down the stretch. This would seemingly give the team a window to give Lynch the extended audition he’s yet to have. A preseason shoulder injury shelved the former first-round pick for this season to date, but he stands to be Brock Osweiler‘s backup against Cincinnati.
Lynch made two starts last season, going 1-1, and replaced Siemian midway through an October 2016 win as well. At 3-6, the Broncos are teetering on the verge of being removed from realistic postseason contention. And Osweiler is only signed through this season. Siemian, who beat out Lynch for the starting job in consecutive seasons, is signed through 2018. Lynch can be controlled through the 2020 season.
Despite being a seventh-round pick, Siemian is 11-10 in two seasons as a starter. He earned the nod over Lynch in Week 17 of last season despite Denver being eliminated from playoff contention. Siemian guided the Broncos to a 3-1 start this season but lost his next three and was benched for Osweiler.
Broncos Waived/Injured TE A.J. Derby
In a bit of a surprising move, the Broncos have swapped tight ends. According to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter), the team has waived/injured A.J. Derby and promoted Austin Traylor from the practice squad. Derby had been struggling with a shoulder injury and wasn’t expected to play this weekend.
Derby, a 2015 sixth-round pick, was traded from the Patriots to the Broncos last season in exchange for a fifth-round pick. After a lackluster start to his tenure in Denver, the 26-year-old was beginning to come into his own in 2017. In nine games (one start), he had hauled in 19 receptions for 224 yards and two touchdowns, tops among Broncos tight ends.
Traylor has yet to play in an NFL game, although the 24-year-old is listed at 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds. Klis tweets that while Derby is the superior receiver, Traylor “is more physical.” Ultimately, the reporter believes this move is another attempt by general manager John Elway to send a “strong message” to his team. For the time being, Traylor will slot in behind Virgil Green and Jeff Heuerman on the depth chart, and he should also get some reps on special teams.
“He’s done a great job,” said offensive coordinator Mike McCoy (via Jon Heath of Broncos Wire). “The role that he’s been in up to this point in time in the season, he just does what we ask him to do whether it’s in the kicking game, whether it’s scout team for the defense or whether he steps in and took plenty of reps on offense. He just does it one way. He works extremely hard, so I’m very pleased with where he’s at.”