The latest Denver Broncos roster updates, including the Philadelphia Eagles poaching cornerback Mac McCain off the Broncos practice squad.
Based on the team’s ridiculous depth at the cornerback position entering training camp in 2021, it was hard to find any path for Mac McCain to remain a Denver Bronco at 53-man roster cuts besides the potential of adding him to the team’s practice squad. The Denver Broncos roster never stops shuffling as McCain initially was added to the practice squad as planned, but now the Philadelphia Eagles have swooped in and stolen him.
McCain had a very interesting college career at North Carolina A&T with some outstanding ball production. He showed at his pre-draft pro day in 2021 that he’s also got some plus athleticism and traits worth developing at the next level despite not having a season to play in 2020.
The Philadelphia Eagles obviously liked what they had scouted from McCain, because they decided to add him to their 53-man roster ahead of their week one matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.
McCain has a very cool story and family history, and you can read more on this here.
It would have been great to see the Broncos be able to trade McCain if they didn’t plan on keeping or protecting him. Having someone like Cam Fleming on the active 53-man roster and letting a young player like Mac McCain get poached seems like an error by the front office and coaching staff, especially because Fleming could easily be on the practice squad with the new rules that are in place.
At any rate, McCain’s development will no longer be overseen by new defensive backs coach Christian Parker and defensive coordinator Ed Donatell. He will get a great opportunity with the defensive back starved Eagles.
The Denver Broncos had a number of players poached, a clear sign of their improved overall roster strength.
Fullback Adam Prentice was poached off of waivers by the New Orleans Saints while safety Trey Marshall was stolen by the Los Angeles Chargers.
In other Denver Broncos roster news, the team protected four other players this week from other teams on the practice squad.
The Broncos have protected the following players on their practice squad for Week 1:
— Aric DiLalla (@AricDiLalla) September 7, 2021
WR Tyrie Cleveland
RB Damarea Crockett
CB Nate Hairston
QB Brett Rypien
As a reminder, this means other teams can't sign these players to their active roster for the rest of the week.
It’s reasonable to assume that because these four players were protected, the Denver Broncos could call a couple of them up for the game against the New York Giants if need be.
Tyrie Cleveland makes a lot of sense there, as does Nate Hairston.
Cleveland would be added to contribute on special teams, and he should be expected to be one of the best players on the team in that phase.
The Broncos have some newcomers to the roster in cornerback Mike Ford and running back Nate McCrary who could play roles in week one as well.
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The team will have to have a handful of players inactive for each game (a hilariously bad rule by the NFL) but the gameday roster can be up to 55 players with practice squad promotions. Each player can be promoted twice in a season before they would be subject to the waiver wire.