Broncos Down To 75-Man Roster
The Broncos have gotten down to a 75-man roster with a handful of moves. Denver has waived tight end Dan Light and linebacker Danny Mason, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com tweets. Wide receiver Nathan Palmer has also been shown the door and he has no remaining practice squad eligibility, Mike Klis of 9NEWS tweets.
Palmer spent the bulk of 2014 on the team’s practice squad and now the third-year receiver will be looking for work elsewhere in the NFL. Light, a Fordham University product known as “The Gronk of the Bronx,” had a tryout with the Broncos earlier this month that resulted in a deal. Mason, a speedy 235-pound linebacker, came to Denver after playing some indoor football in recent years.
Practice Squad Updates: Thursday
We’ll round up Thursday’s news related to teams adding and removing players from their practice squads in this post, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day….
- With Chris Long having been placed on the injured reserve list with the designation to return, the Rams filled his 53-man roster spot by promoting defensive tackle Matt Conrath from their practice squad, according to his agency Eastern Athletics (Twitter link). Defensive end Kourtnei Brown has been added to the team’s practice squad in Conrath’s place, per agency ARN Sports and Entertainment (Twitter link).
- After cutting him from their active roster, the Broncos have re-added wideout Nathan Palmer to their practice squad, the club announced today (Twitter link).
- The Bears have signed wide receiver and kick returner Chris Williams to their practice squad, tweets Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com. Williams, the fourth receiver on Chicago’s practice squad, will take the place of linebacker DeDe Lattimore, who has been cut.
- Defensive lineman Kona Schwenke has been removed from the Chiefs‘ practice squad to make room for newly-added safety Daniel Sorensen, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Sorensen has cut from the club’s 53-man roster earlier in the week.
Broncos Promote Nathan Miller To Roster
In the wake of Wes Welker‘s four-game suspension, the Broncos have filled his active roster spot by promoting wideout Nathan Palmer to the 53-man roster. As Mike Klis of the Denver Post tweets, offensive lineman Ryan Miller has been signed to fill the opening left by Palmer on the practice squad.
Palmer, 25, spent some time on Denver’s practice squad last season, and was signed to a reserve/futures contract following the Super Bowl. After being cut as part of the team’s reduction to 53 players, he landed back on the practice squad, and now could get a shot at the active roster on Sunday. Denver still has plenty of receiving depth without Welker, so I wouldn’t expect Palmer to see the field much even if he’s active.
Sunday Transactions: AFC West
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC West teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions are noted below.
Additionally, as of 11:00am today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s AFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Denver Broncos:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Shaquil Barrett, LB (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter), Kapri Bibbs, RB (via Wilson on Twitter); John Boyett, S (via Wilson on Twitter); Zac Dysert, QB (via Mike Klis on Twitter); Bennie Fowler, WR (via Lindsay Jones on Twitter); Nathan Palmer, WR (via Adam Caplan on Twitter); Vinston Painter, G (via Klis on Twitter); Matt Paradis, C (via Klis on Twitter); Gerell Robinson, TE (via Klis on Twitter)
Kansas City Chiefs:
- Claimed off waivers: Damion Square, DE (via Josina Anderson on Twitter)
- Cut: Richard Gordon, TE (via Terez Paylor on Twitter)
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Jordan Campbell, FB (via Paylor on Twitter); Ricky Henry, G (via Paylor on Twitter); Kona Schwenke, DL (via Paylor on Twitter); Darryl Surgent, WR (via Paylor on Twitter); Fred Williams, WR (via Paylor on Twitter); Ben Gottschalk, C; Nico Johnson, LB; Charcandrick West, RB; Jerry Franklin, LB (via Brad Biggs on Twitter).
Oakland Raiders:
- Claimed off waivers: Benson Mayowa, DL (via Tom Pelissero on Twitter)
- Cut: Kaelin Burnett, LB (via Burnett on Twitter)
- Signed to practice squad: Bojay Filimoeatu, LB (via Aaron Wilson on Twitter); Ricky Lumpkin, DT (via Damond Talbot on Twitter); Lamar Mady, G (via Talbot on Twitter); Scott Simonson, TE (via Mike Uva on Twitter)
San Diego Chargers:
- Signed to practice squad (officially announced): Chas Alecxih, DL; Torrence Allen, WR; Greg Ducre, CB; Javontee Herndon, WR; Cordarro Law, OLB; Ryan Lindley, QB; Adrian Phillips, S; Jeremiah Sirles, T; Craig Watts, G
Broncos Cut Duke Ihenacho, 13 Others
Six of the Broncos’ 22 cuts to get from 75 players to 53 were reported yesterday, and now the team has confirmed those moves and filled in the blanks on the other 16. Via a press release, here are Denver’s latest transactions to get to 53 players:
Waived:
- Shaquil Barrett, LB
- Kapri Bibbs, RB
- John Boyett, S
- Zac Dysert, QB
- Bennie Fowler, WR
- Sione Fua, DT
- Duke Ihenacho, S
- Vinston Painter, G
- Nathan Palmer, WR
- Matt Paradis, C
- Gerell Robinson, TE
- Louis Young, CB
Released:
- Brian Sanford, DE
- Kevin Vickerson, DT
Placed on reserve-suspended list:
- Matt Prater, K
Placed on injured reserve:
- Kenny Anunike, DE
Broncos Sign Eight To Reserve Contracts
WEDNESDAY, 4:11pm: The Broncos have officially signed receiver Gerell Robinson, the eighth and final player from their 2013 practice squad, to a reserve/futures contract, according to McIntyre (via Twitter).
TUESDAY, 3:41pm: The Broncos have signed seven players to reserve/futures contracts, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). Safety John Boyett, offensive lineman Paul Cornick, wide receivers Nathan Palmer and Greg Wilson, and defensive ends Hall Davis, John Youboty and Ben Garland inked deals with the team for the upcoming season.
Reserve contracts can be signed by players who didn’t finish the 2013 season on an active NFL roster. The deals ensure that the players will be under contract beginning on March 11, when the league’s 2014 season gets underway.
All seven players signed by Denver finished the 2013 season on the Broncos’ practice squad.