ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — If it’s Tuesday, George Paton is making a slew of moves to fill holes at the back end of his roster.
The Broncos’ general manager placed 14 names on the NFL transaction wire Tuesday with the most significant being backup guard Austin Schlottmann getting promoted from the practice squad to take the 53-man roster spot vacated when starting right guard Graham Glasgow suffered a season-ending ankle injury.
Glasgow will undergo surgery to repair a fracture in his lower left leg/ankle area.
Most alarming is the Broncos placed two more players on COVID reserve for testing positive: Inside linebacker Justin Strnad and cornerback Michael Ojemudia. Strnad started two games in place of the injured Josey Jewell, but was demoted to back up, third-down linebacker the previous two games. Ojemudia has been on injured reserve all season after suffering a hamstring strain in the preseason. He was scheduled to return to practice this week but that will be pushed back because of the virus.
Muti was cleared from the COVID-19 protocols but was placed on the roster exemption list for two days (one for each game missed because of the virus). He will be activated Thursday. Starting tight end Noah Fant and backup quarterback Drew Lock remain on the COVID-19 reserve list; Fant should be cleared soon while Lock tested positive Sunday morning.
The Broncos have increased reminders to their players about the COVID-19 spike around the state and have tightened up protocols such as mask wearing and less in-person interaction.
In other moves, cornerback Duke Dawson Jr. was waived one day after he passed his physical and was formally activated from injured reserve, where he had been through the first 9 weeks of the regular season to finish his recovery from ACL surgery last December.
The Broncos also flipped two spots on their practice squad roster, signing offensive tackle Casey Tucker, who has spent the past three seasons mostly on the Eagles’ practice squad, and veteran linebacker Avery Williamson, who returns after leaving for a brief stint with the Titans. To make room, the Broncos cut veteran receiver David Moore and tight end Caleb Wilson, who was just signed last week.
With Strnad on COVID reserve and right tackle Bobby Massie expected to miss two to four weeks with ankle and knee injuries, the Broncos practice squad protections included inside linebacker Curtis Robinson and offensive tackle Quinn Bailey. Defensive end Jonathan Harris and receiver Seth Williams were also protected.
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