Denver Broncos: Playmaker Shay Fields added to practice squad
The Denver Broncos filled their practice squad opening by adding yet another playmaker at the wide receiver position in Colorado product Shay Fields.
The Denver Broncos promoted safety Trey Marshall to the active roster on Tuesday, meaning they had an open spot left on the practice squad in his place. That spot on the practice squad has been filled by former Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Shay Fields, per his Instagram account and multiple reports.
Fields enjoyed a very productive career with Colorado, catching 194 passes over the last four years with 2,590 yards and 21 touchdowns.
His best year came in 2016 when he averaged almost 16 yards per reception and nine touchdown grabs.
Fields was part of a pretty underrated Colorado which also featured fellow NFL rookie Phillip Lindsay, who has taken the league by storm and has 10 touchdowns this season.
Lindsay will undoubtedly be grateful to see another one of his former Colorado teammates on the practice field again, as another former Buffalo Bryce Bobo joined the team in training camp.
Ultimately, he was unable to make the squad, but Fields now has an inside track at a reserve/future contract with the Broncos after the season.
At Colorado, Fields demonstrated exceptional deep speed and the ability to play much bigger than his size. He reminded me in the draft process of a poor man’s DeSean Jackson, someone who can stretch the field vertically and also get vertical to win jump ball situations.
His production took a dip as a senior at Colorado when Sefo Liufau graduated.
I love this addition for the Broncos along with some of the other playmakers they have added in recent weeks. With all of the roster shuffling going on, here’s a look at the Broncos’ 10-man practice squad right now (organized positionally):
QB Garrett Grayson (Colorado State)
RB Khalfani Muhammad (Cal)
WR Shay Fields (Colorado)
WR Chad Hansen (Cal)
TE Tim Semisch (Northern Illinois)
OL Dan Skipper (Arkansas)
OL Austin Schlottmann (TCU)
DL Caushaud Lyons (Tusculum)
LB Alexander Johnson (Tennessee)
CB Linden Stephens (Cincinnati)
The Broncos have done a great job of fostering their young practice squad talent and developing guys into gameday contributors. Fields has a lot of natural ability and athletically looks a lot like Isaiah McKenzie.
Fields is 5-foot-10, 187 pounds and ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the Colorado pro day with a 35.5-inch vertical jump. McKenzie ran a 4.42 and had a 36-inch vertical, though he measured a bit smaller than Fields.
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I absolutely love this move for the Broncos, as I thought Fields had a decent chance of sticking with the Redskins earlier this year. Things didn’t work out for him there but he’s been staying in shape and working out for teams, and now has a chance to work with a team that has developed so many receivers from practice squad players to active roster gameday contributors.