BRONCOS ADD QB ALLEN, OTHERS ON WAIVERS
During his first seven years as the Broncos’ general manager, John Elway was mostly quiet on the day after the initial regularseason roster was announced, claiming a combined four players off waivers.
Elway matched that number during a busy Sunday of roster movement.
The rundown …
Acquired via waivers: Los Angeles Rams quarterback Brandon Allen, New England tight end Andrew Beck, Pittsburgh receiver/ punt returner Diontae Spencer and Tennessee center/guard Corey Levin. All were waived by their teams on Saturday.
Waived: Receiver/punt returner River Cracraft, offensive tackle Jake Rodgers and inside linebacker Josh Watson. Expected to sign on Monday: Linebacker Corey Nelson (recently cut by Tampa Bay), cornerback Davontae Harris (released by Cincinnati on Saturday) and inside linebacker Keishawn Bierria (waived by the Broncos on Saturday). Will be moved to injured reserve on Monday: Quarterback Drew Lock (right thumb), tight end Jake Butt (knee) and running back (Theo Riddick). They are eligible to return to the roster, but teams are allowed only two designations. The players can begin practicing in six weeks and can play in eight weeks.
The Broncos also filled seven of their 10 practice squad slots: Quarterback Brett Rypien, outside linebacker Ahmad Gooden, cornerback/safety Alijah Holder, receiver Fred Brown, defensive lineman Deyon Sizer and offensive tackles Quinn Bailey and Tyler Jones. Each player was with the Broncos in the preseason.
Running back Khalfani Muhammad was not announced as a prac
tice squad signee, but a source expects that to happen Monday.
The Broncos’ first regular-season practice is Monday at 2 p.m.
The make-up of the initial 52-man left holes at quarterback, tight end, inside linebacker and punt returner so it wasn’t a surprise Elway checked those boxes via the waiver wire.
Thirty-six players were claimed by teams and 23 combined came by Arizona/Miami/the New York Jets (five apiece) and the Broncos/Jacksonville (four apiece).
A look at the new players: •Allen, 26, was a sixthround pick by Jacksonville in 2016 and joined the Rams in September 2017 but did not appear in a regular-season game. The Broncos needed to add a backup quarterback after waiving Brett Rypien and Kevin Hogan and placing Lock on injured reserve. Allen threw 64 touchdowns in a four-year career at Arkansas. This preseason for the Rams, Allen was 44-of-69 passing for 431 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions, including 162 yards (12 of 19) against the Broncos on Aug. 24. The Rams opted to keep two quarterbacks (veterans Jared Goff and Blake Bortles).
•Beck, 23, was undrafted this year out of Texas, where he caught 40 passes in 51 games (30 starts) and was first-team All-Big 12 in 2018. Beck caught one pass for nine yards for the Patriots this preseason, but was waived in favor of Matt LaCosse, Ryan Izzo, Lance Kendricks and Ben Watson. At a listed 255 pounds, Beck can also be a parttime fullback, beneficial to the Broncos because starter Andy Janovich (pectoral) remains out and rookie George Aston was waived.
•Levin, 25, was considered one of the Titans’ surprising cuts on Saturday. A sixth-round pick in 2017, he played in every game last year (one start). Entering camp, there was some chatter he would start at center and veteran Ben Jones would move to guard. But Jones stayed put and the Titans opted to keep an extra tackle (David Quessenberry) instead of a guard/ center in Levin. At Tenn.-Chattanooga, Levin started the final 45 games of his career and played at right tackle, left guard and left tackle. He joins Austin Schlottmann as the Broncos’ back-up interior lineman if right guard Ron Leary is healthy and Eljiah Wilkinson works as a reserve tackle.
•Spencer, 27, is a 5-foot-9, 161-pound veteran of the Canadian Football League who lost the punt return job in Pittsburgh to Ryan Switzer despite averaging 14.7 yards per attempt (tied for fourth in the NFL this preseason). Playing for Toronto and Ottawa from 2015-18, Spencer had 259 catches (19 touchdowns) and an 11.3yard average on 191 punt returns.
When he signs, Nelson will begin his second tour with the Broncos (2014-17). Since leaving the Broncos, he has signed and been waived by Philadelphia, Atlanta (one game played last year) and Tampa Bay. And when Harris arrives, he will be the sixth cornerback on the roster. A fifth-round pick last year by Cincinnati, he sustained a preseason knee injury but was activated late in the season to play one game.