Broncos Place Jake Butt, Chad Kelly On IR
A pair of Broncos rookies are headed to the injured reserve. The team announced today that they’ve placed tight end Jake Butt and quarterback Chad Kelly on the IR. The two players were previously on the NFI list, and after evaluating their progress, the coaching staff decided that the duo would be shut down for the season.
“They’re both going to go down,” said head coach Vance Joseph. “Chad Kelly, obviously, he came back and practiced last week, and obviously numbers-wise, it doesn’t make sense for our football team. We were hoping that Jake could come back and help us at this point, but he’s not ready yet. So we’re going to put both of those guys down.”
Butt, who was selected in the fifth round of this past year’s draft, has spent the majority of the campaign recovering from his second ACL surgery. The tight end had been practicing for the past few weeks, but he continued to feel soreness in the knee. After having earned a pair of first-team All-American nods, it was expected that Butt could eventually work his way into a major role. Instead, the Broncos will have to continue to rely on A.J. Derby, Virgil Green, and Jeff Heuerman at tight end.
“There’s definitely frustration,” Butt told Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post last week. “For me, I’ve been a quick healer my whole life and everything I’ve come back (from), I’ve been able to come back with no problems. But it’s also teaching me some things. Patience is a big thing.”
There had been less optimism that Kelly would be activated from the NFI. The seventh-round pick was recovering from both wrist and and knee surgeries, and while the trio of Brock Osweiler, Trevor Siemian, and Paxton Lynch have been uninspiring, there wasn’t room on the roster for a rookie quarterback. Kelly was limited to nine games during his senior season at Ole Miss, but he still managed to complete 62.5-percent of his passes for 2,758 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
Gary Kubiak Open To Offensive Coordinator Position
Former Texans and Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, who currently serves as a senior personnel executive for the Broncos, is open to a return to the sidelines as an offensive coordinator, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. Kubiak, who guided the Broncos to their third championship in Super Bowl 50, stepped down as the team’s head coach in January due to mounting health concerns.
While those health concerns preclude Kubiak from returning to the stress and rigors of a head coaching position, sources close to him say he would welcome the opportunity to work with a quality quarterback on a contending team as an OC. It would likely not be difficult for him to land such a position, as his abilities as a coordinator and play-caller are held in high regard throughout the league. Indeed, some of Kubiak’s longtime assistants like Rick Dennison are having success implementing his offense, and Denver’s offense has regressed considerably since Kubiak’s departure from the sidelines.
As an NFL head coach, Kubiak compiled an 82-75 regular season record and a 5-2 postseason mark, including his one Super Bowl win. He also worked as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator in 2014, which was easily Joe Flacco‘s best season of his career. Although La Canfora does not mention any specific teams that could be in the market for Kubiak’s services, Baltimore could be a speculative fit, as current OC Marty Mornhinweg has been a disappointment, and the Ravens do have a decent talent base. Kubiak, Flacco, and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh worked well together in 2014, as Baltimore advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs and came agonizingly close to moving on to the AFC Championship Game. That was the last time the Ravens have qualified for the postseason.
Kubiak is apparently prepared to accept an offensive coordinator position as soon as 2018, so there could be another big name to keep an eye on during the next hiring season.
Paxton Lynch Under Consideration To Start Week 10?
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says Broncos QB Paxton Lynch is under consideration to start in the team’s Week 10 matchup against New England, but Mike Klis of 9News.com says (via Twitter) that report is inaccurate. Klis reports that Lynch is not yet physically ready and that Brock Osweiler will keep the job if he plays well.
Practice Squad Updates: 11/2/17
Today’s practice squad moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Trey Williams
- Cut: DE Stansly Maponga
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Hunter Sharp
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: C Cornelius Edison
- Released: S Jack Tocho
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Kalif Raymond
Brock Osweiler To Start For Broncos
As expected, the Broncos are making a change under center. Brock Osweiler will take over for Trevor Siemian as the team’s new starting quarterback. 
“It’s my job to do what’s best for the football team,” Joseph said Tuesday. “… If you try to go the same way and it doesn’t get better, that’s on me. Again, we have players and coaches putting a lot of time and effort in to get ready for these football games and guys are playing hard. I think it’s fair to examine [the quarterback] position and all positions.”
This, of course, marks Osweiler’s second stint as the Broncos’ starting quarterback. In 2015, he was the No. 1 QB in place of the injured Peyton Manning. In that stretch, he threw for 1,589 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions over six games. Manning took the reins later in the year and was the signal caller for the team’s Super Bowl 50 win, but Osweiler was able to parlay his success into a fat free agent contract with the Texans.
Things didn’t go as planned in Houston (and he never took a real snap in Cleveland), but things have worked out just fine for Osweiler. He has his old job back and, this time around, he has way more money in the bank account.
Mired in a three-game losing streak, Osweiler will look to get the Broncos back to .500 with a win over the red-hot Eagles on Sunday. If he looks sharp the rest of the way, Osweiler might be able to position himself as the team’s QB solution in 2018.
Broncos Mulling Quarterback Change
The Broncos are under .500 for the first time since October 2012 and have seen their aerial attack sputter this month. They are considering benching Trevor Siemian for Brock Osweiler, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Osweiler was once ahead of Siemian in Denver’s pecking order prior to departing as a free agent, starting seven games in relief of Peyton Manning in 2015, but has seen his stock plummet considerably in between Broncos stays. Siemian, though, threw three interceptions against the Chiefs and has now thrown 10 this season — as many as he did in 14 games in 2016. Paxton Lynch would be the more logical choice for a longer-term change but has only practiced three times thus far. Still, if the Broncos’ losing streak continues — and games against the Eagles and Patriots loom the next two weeks — it would stand to reason Lynch could see the field soon for the lengthy audition he’s yet to receive.
Broncos Activate Shane Ray
Shane Ray is officially back .The Broncos have moved him to the active roster in advance of Monday night’s game against the Chiefs. He’ll be in the starting lineup to boot, according to Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). 
The Broncos first announced their intention to restore Ray from injured reserve in mid-October. After six weeks on the sidelines and two weeks in practice, he’s now allowed to play, per league rules. Doctors have also cleared him to play now that the torn ligament in his left wrist has healed up.
Ray enjoyed a breakout season in 2016, registering 48 tackles and eight sacks in 664 snaps. Only two Denver linebackers – Von Miller and Todd Davis – saw more action than Ray last year. He ranked an above-average 45th in overall performance among Pro Football Focus’ 110 qualified edge defenders.
For his part, Ray says he’s been champing at the bit to play.
“Been losing a little bit of sleep over it,” Ray said earlier this week, with a grin (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post). “I just want to get back out there with my brothers and just make some plays. I think I can bring a spark to this team defensively and try to create some turnovers, some fumbles, some sacks, and I think that just helps our defense all around.”
Paxton Lynch Off Injury Report
- Paxton Lynch is no longer on the Broncos‘ injury report, and the second-year quarterback could be in uniform Monday night for the first time this season, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. The Broncos have not received much help from their offense the past three games and have fallen to 3-3. The team obviously would be interested in getting its 2016 first-rounder on the field at some point, but Trevor Siemian won the job in the preseason. However, if the Broncos slink out of the playoff race as a result of a brutal upcoming schedule — the Chiefs, Eagles and Patriots represent Denver’s ensuing three games — Lynch could be summoned for a full-on audition.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/28/17
Here are today’s minor moves.
- The Bills will fill Marcell Dareus‘ roster spot with running back Joe Banyard, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Banyard will return to Buffalo’s 53-man roster after being released last week. This is the running back/special-teamer’s sixth NFL season.
- The Broncos waived wide receiver Hunter Sharp and promoted linebacker Kevin Snyder from their practice squad, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post tweets. Denver promoted Sharp last week when it was set to operate without Emmanuel Sanders and Isaiah McKenzie, but McKenzie is set to return and Sanders has a questionable designation. The Broncos signed Snyder to a reserve/futures deal in January, and he’s back despite the team having waived him with an injury designation in September.
- Center Cornelius Edison will rise from the Vikings‘ practice squad to their active roster, per the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson (on Twitter). Minnesota will be playing without Jeremiah Sirles on Sunday, and starting guard Nick Easton is questionable after missing last week with a calf injury. Edison played in six games with the Bears last season.
- The Redskins officially placed linebacker Mason Foster on injured reserve and waived running back Mack Brown, the club announced today. The dual transactions will create roster space for Washington’s two newest offensive lineman, Orlando Franklin and Arie Kouandjio.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/27/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB Tony McRae
- Released: CB Sojourn Shelton
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OL Gabe Ikard