Denver Broncos: Wide receivers Tyrie Cleveland, Juwann Winfree going in opposite directions
Nearly two weeks into training camp for the Denver Broncos, two wide receivers are going in totally different directions.
Not long ago, I discussed the odds of Juwann Winfree making this year’s time, noting that rookie seventh-round draft pick Tyrie Cleveland would be among his main competition for one of those spots. It seemed that Winfree, who had spent a year in the system, had better odds to make the squad.
That no longer seems to be the case.
While Cleveland has impressed throughout camp, Winfree has mostly watched from the sidelines. He suffered a hamstring injury early on in one of the practices at the beginning of camp and has nursed it while trying to get back on the field ever since.
In an offseason that does not include a preseason, that simply can’t happen for a guy hoping to make some plays to move up the depth chart. Meanwhile, it has been the exact opposite for Cleveland.
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Cleveland, a 6-foot-2 wide receiver out of Florida, never caught more than 25 passes in any one season in college. But he has made some plays and turned some heads in the first couple weeks of camp, definitely making the most of his opportunity.
This year, the league will allow up to 16 players to be placed on the team’s practice squad and because he has been unavailable due to injury, that might be a best-case scenario for Winfree, who could just be cut as well.
As for Cleveland, he has 53-man roster aspirations at this point, despite being the third wide receiver taken in this year’s draft by the team alone. In addition to his skills as a wide receiver, he could also contribute in special teams.
For Cleveland, it appears his floor as a rookie would be as a member of the practice squad. He’s done enoygh to warrant some main roster consideration.