Today’s practice squad moves:
Denver Broncos
The Broncos quickly reunited with Keidron Smith after the safety was cut from the active roster the other day. Smith has appeared in eight games for Denver this season, collecting six tackles while primarily playing on special teams.
Although Justin Simmons will be in Denver on Sunday as a member of the visiting Falcons, the decorated safety’s March release made Garett Bolles the longest-tenured Bronco. A lack of substantive extension talks threatens to move that distinction to another player soon.
Bolles has expressed an interest in a third Broncos contract, but he remains attached to the four-year, $68MM deal agreed to during the 2020 season. The eighth-year left tackle did agree to his current extension in November 2020, during his lone All-Pro campaign, but plenty has changed about the Broncos in the years since. The GM that drafted Bolles (John Elway) is gone, with the subsequent honcho (George Paton) seeing his power curbed thanks to Sean Payton‘s 2023 arrival. This all leaves Bolles with a cloudy Colorado future.
The Broncos have reached extensions with three 2021 draftees this year, coming to terms with Quinn Meinerz, Patrick Surtain and Jonathon Cooper over the past four months. Bolles, however, is expected to play out his second contract this season, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes. While Denver passed on trading Bolles before his contract year and would still have exclusive negotiating rights with its longtime LT in the weeks before the legal tampering period, a separation would move closer to a reality if Bolles finishes the season unsigned.
Bolles is 32 despite being a 2017 draftee, which would stand to affect his market to some degree. That said, the Utah alum wants to play at least a few more seasons. He has been seeking a Broncos extension since before 2024. Bolles became the longest-serving Broncos left tackle this season, hitting Year 8 to surpass Ryan Clady (who missed all of the 2015 season).
Denver used Russell Okung as a stopgap upon trading Clady to the Jets in 2016 but drafted Bolles 20th overall in 2017. The investment delivered some choppy waters early, thanks to Bolles’ holding penchant, but he has stabilized himself into a solid option at the premier O-line position.
After a broken leg ended Bolles’ 2022 season five games in, he has returned to play in all 27 Broncos contests since. Pro Football Focus slotted Bolles 19th in 2023 and has him 14th among all tackles this season. He checks in as a top-15 player in both ESPN’s pass block and run block win rate, sitting 14th in pass pro and sixth on the ground. Avoiding a serious injury should stand to deliver Bolles a strong third contract, with the question then being whether it will come from the Broncos or another team.
Meinerz’s extension gave the Broncos four O-linemen tied to eight-figure-per-year contracts, joining left guard Ben Powers and right tackle Mike McGlinchey. The veteran RT’s 2025 salary is fully guaranteed, providing a potential complication for a third Bolles-Broncos agreement. Denver saw some promising play from 2023 UDFA Alex Palczewski early this season, but the Illinois alum filled in exclusively for McGlinchey at right tackle and did not play as a rookie. A Bolles exit likely moves LT to the top of the list of Broncos needs for 2025, which would be an interesting development due to the organization’s Bo Nix development effort.
Next year’s LT market (as of now, that is) is slated to feature Cam Robinson and Ronnie Stanley, both joining Bolles in playing out their second contracts. Dan Moore Jr. and Walker Little headline the list of LTs going after their first big paydays. While this crop gives the Broncos options, the team also will be navigating the second and final year of Russell Wilson‘s dead money; that figure is set to check in just north of $30MM next year, limiting the AFC West club’s options a bit.
Today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
Chicago Bears
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Los Angeles Chargers
Miami Dolphins
Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:
Chicago Bears
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Miami Dolphins
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers continue to deal with injuries on special teams. As a result, they’re bringing in the 33-year-old veteran out of Miami (FL). O’Donnell spent eight years in Chicago as the Bears’ primary punter before playing a season in Green Bay. If Mitch Wishnowsky‘s back injury forces him to miss game time, O’Donnell could see his first NFL action since 2022.
The Broncos have designated wide receiver Josh Reynolds for return from injured reserve and opened his 21-day practice window, according to Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette.
Reynolds landed on injured reserve on October 12 after undergoing finger surgery. He also was wounded in a shooting two weeks later outside of a Denver nightclub, though he was only treated for minor injuries.
The veteran receiver was a full participant in his first practice in a month, per the Broncos’ official injury report. Denver is well behind the Chiefs in the AFC West, but they remain in contention for a wildcard spot with a 5-5 record through 10 weeks. Reynolds’ return will add an experienced target into an offense that is averaging just 186.6 passing yards per game, the sixth-fewest in the NFL.
Reynolds’ absence did allow the Broncos to give more snaps to their young receiving corps, with rookies Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele both seeing increased playing time in recent weeks. Franklin has disappointed after a productive career at Oregon, catching just 15 of his 29 targets for 144 yards in nine games. Vele, however, has been able to make up much of Reynolds’ production with an 81.5% catch rate and 35.8 yards per game, just shy of Reynolds’ 36.6 yards per game to start the season.
Reynolds will have 21 days to practice with the team before he must be added to the active roster. Otherwise, he reverts to season-ending injured reserve and would not play again this year.
Broncos assistant head coach Mike Westhoff has resigned from his role as he monitors “a potential health issue,” according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The 76-year-old coach experienced vision problems last week and underwent testing, including an MRI. Westhoff made his decision to step away after consulting with doctors and head coach Sean Payton.
“It’s not easy to make this decision, but this was a wake-up call that I needed to put my health first,” Westhoff said. “This team is very much headed in the right direction with a strong foundation and a winning culture. I’m grateful to Sean for giving me the opportunity to contribute to a first-class organization and wish the Broncos the very best.”
According to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver, Payton was naturally hoping that Westhoff would stick around for the stretch run of the season. With the coach turning 77 later this month, Westhoff decided to prioritize his health and head home to Florida.
Westhoff has earned a reputation as one of the league’s most respected ST minds. He spent more than a decade as the special teams coordinator with the Dolphins, and he had another decade-plus stint with the Jets in the early 2000s. He retired following the 2012 campaign but returned to join Payton in New Orleans for most of the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Following another retirement, Westhoff reunited with Payton in Denver, where he’s spent the past season-plus as the assistant head coach and ST coordinator.
Westhoff is the second Broncos coach to step away from their role in 2024. Pass-game coordinator Zach Grossi stepped away last month as he seeks treatment for cancer. Klis notes that Grossi has been in close communication with the team while undergoing treatment.
Today’s minor moves:
Denver Broncos
Miami Dolphins
Philadelphia Eagles
Tennessee Titans
Bruss was waived by the Rams yesterday to make room for returning linemen Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson. A former third-round pick, Bruss didn’t make an appearance through his first two seasons in the NFL but started three of his eight appearances in 2024.
Today’s minor moves, including standard gameday practice squad elevations:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Chargers
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
New York Jets
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Washington Commanders
Spector will miss at least the next four games as a result of the Bills’ move. He has remained a mainstay on special teams this year, having also done so in 2022 and ’23. The former seventh-rounder has made three starts on defense, however, so his absence will be felt moving forward. Linebacker has been a position hit hard by injuries this season, and Buffalo’s depth at the second level will now be tested even further.
Wattenberg had his 21-day practice window opened by the Broncos earlier this week, paving the way for today’s activation. The 27-year-old operated as the team’s starting center prior to going down after having won a summer competition for the gig with Alex Forsyth. Forsyth handled first-team duties over the past four games, drawing a superior PFF evaluation and therefore potentially playing his way into an extended look atop the depth chart. At a minimum, having Wattenberg back will give Denver – a team with three IR activations left – depth up front.
Although the Broncos endured a one-sided loss to the Ravens in Week 9, they hit the trade deadline 5-4 and still hold a wild-card spot at the midway point. Denver’s offense also lagged behind its defense during the season’s first half, opening the door to a potential upgrade. No such move transpired, and it does not appear anything was close.
Sean Payton said the team did not make a strong effort to add talent at the deadline, preferring to keep its nucleus intact. This comes a year after the Broncos, who had made some of this NFL period’s highest-profile seller’s moves in recent years, resisted shaking up their team despite standing 3-5 at least year’s deadline.
[RELATED: Broncos Were Not Planning To Extend Baron Browning]
“I like this group,’’ Payton said, via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson. “We weren’t considering giving up a second-(round pick). … The phone rings, we pick up and yet we have to look at it in the eyes of what’s best for our team. … I don’t think we even got close to discussing someone seriously. … We’re focused on this team.”
After a slow start, Bo Nix has inched his way to the 21st spot in QBR. That mark sits second among rookies this season. Denver’s offense on the whole ranks 23rd in scoring, 25th in yards and 24th in DVOA. The Broncos have been unable to rely on receivers beyond Courtland Sutton, even as rookies Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele have contributed in spurts; the team has needed the two rookies, as 2023 second-rounder Marvin Mims has not carved out a role like the team hoped post-Jerry Jeudy. Sutton leads the Broncos with 499 yards. No other pass catcher has 220, with none of Denver’s auxiliary receivers reaching 200 yet.
Denver is also once again limited at tight end. Greg Dulcich has not struggled with injuries this year but has still failed to make an impact, catching just five passes for 28 yards in limited duty. The team’s would-be top receiving tight end has fallen to healthy-scratch status in Payton’s second season, having not played since Week 5. The Broncos have used 2023 trade acquisition Adam Trautman, one of a few former Saints on Payton’s roster, as their top tight end. Trautman has just seven receptions for 121 yards in his second Broncos season.
The Broncos did make a seller’s move, dealing Baron Browning to the Cardinals for a sixth-round pick. The team also discussed Dulcich with other clubs before the deadline, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. While some level of interest is believed to have formed for the 2022 third-round pick, the Broncos will stick with the UCLA product for the time being.
Chosen in GM George Paton‘s second draft as GM (but before Payton’s arrival), Dulcich impressed when available as a rookie by accumulating 411 yards and two touchdowns for an offense that had nosedived during the disjointed Nathaniel Hackett–Russell Wilson season. Dulcich got there in just 10 games, missing time due to hamstring trouble. Two hamstring-driven IR placements followed in 2023, limiting Dulcich to 32 offensive snaps all season. Dulcich was not a full participant in the Broncos’ offseason program this year but returned by training camp.
Payton’s team is believed to have looked into tight end upgrades this offseason, but nothing came to pass. Dulcich has played 120 snaps this season. He remains under contract through 2025 but is falling out of favor with this coaching staff.
The Broncos’ only deal ahead of the trade deadline saw Baron Browning moved out. The fourth-year edge rusher was sent to the Cardinals as a rental for the second half of the campaign. 
Browning yielded only a sixth-round pick in return given his status as a pending free agent. Denver already has Nik Bonitto in place as a starter along the edge along with Jonathan Cooper. The latter was recently extended on a four-year deal with a base value of $54MM, a commitment which suggested Browning would not be in line for a second Broncos contract during the offseason. In addition, the 25-year-old’s playing time had him positioned to remain a backup to close out the 2024 season.
“We had a long talk,” head coach Sean Payton said when reflecting on a conversation involving himself, general manager George Paton and Browning (via Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post). “Contract year, the amount of snaps – he can get more snaps – it’s the puzzle of trying to look outward, too. Certainly, he’s been a part of what we’ve been doing, so it’s never easy to trade someone. I thought just in our visit… [Browning] totally understood and he was looking forward to getting more snaps in a year for him that’s important.”
The Ohio State product transitioned from inside to outside linebacker following his rookie season, and he logged snap shares of 60% and 68% in 2022 and ’23. This season – one which has been limited to five contests due to a foot injury – Browning has been on the field for only 46% of Denver’s defensive plays. With Cooper and Bonitto in the fold, a change of scenery was going to be necessary for Browning to regain a regular first-team role. The opportunity to do so in Arizona is a welcomed one from his perspective.
“I didn’t want to be a distraction to my teammates, be a distraction to my unit back in Denver,” Browning said (Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith). “I was just ready for it to be done just to get this fresh start and show what I can do. I know I’m a starter in this league and I know I can play at a high level, so I’m just really excited about this opportunity to do that here.”
Edge rush was known to be an area Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort was targeting, and as such it came as no surprise Browning was acquired. That deal preceded the ones which saw Za’Darius Smith join the Lions and Preston Smith have his trade request granted en route to the Steelers. An effective showing in Arizona will be key for Browning ahead of his first trip to free agency. With no sacks so far this season, an uptick in production would help his chances of landing an extended stay with the Cardinals or strengthen his market amongst other suitors.