Denver Broncos: Nigel Bradham added to practice squad for depth
The Denver Broncos added veteran linebacker Nigel Bradham to the practice squad.
The Denver Broncos have had quite the adventure trying to assemble linebacker depth in the 2020 season.
Even though the depth was questionable, it looked like the team had a decent top four on paper of Todd Davis, Alexander Johnson, Josey Jewell, and Justin Strnad just a couple of months ago.
Justin Strnad had to go on season-ending injured reserve with a wrist injury he suffered during training camp.
After the Strnad injury, the Broncos brought in veteran Mark Barron, who also promptly suffered a bad hamstring injury and has recently had to go on injured reserve.
The team made the surprising decision to let go of veteran Todd Davis the day before final roster cuts, and he has now signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
So, who in the heck actually plays linebacker for this team now?
Right now on the active roster, the Broncos have just Alexander Johnson, Josey Jewell, and special teams player Joe Jones. There is no one else.
The Broncos promoted former UDFA Josh Watson against the New York Jets, but their need for depth at linebacker has become obvious and pressing, so they signed veteran Nigel Bradham to the practice squad.
Veteran LB Nigel Bradham, an 8-yr starter for Bills & Eagles, is in town going through virus protocols. If all goes well he's expected to sign with the Broncos' practice squad on Monday. #9sports
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) October 4, 2020
Bradham came into the NFL out of Florida State in 2012 and has a couple of seasons with over 100 tackles on his résumé.
He had 61 tackles in 12 games for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019, but was sort of their version of Todd Davis at roster cut time.
Obviously given the fact that the Broncos currently have no one on their roster behind Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell who could be counted on to play substantial snaps at linebacker, signing a guy like Bradham is much more a necessity than a luxury.
He will open up on the practice squad and could very well be promoted to the gameday roster a couple of times before the Broncos ultimately promote him to the 53-man roster.
Once upon a time, Bradham ran a 4.56 in the 40-yard dash and had a 37-inch vertical jump, and he’s proven himself to be an effective player attacking the line of scrimmage in his career with 34 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks along with 21 quarterback hits. The majority of his 33 career pass breakups came in the past four seasons with the Eagles, where he also had two fumble recoveries for touchdowns.
The top 30 players in Broncos history. dark. Next
Bradham could be another intriguing mid-season addition to the Broncos’ defense, not unlike his former Eagles teammate Timmy Jernigan.