Denver Broncos add familiar face for Nathaniel Hackett at WR
The Denver Broncos added a familiar face for head coach Nathaniel Hackett at the wide receiver position, signing Darrius Shepherd to the 90-man roster.
In the wake of injuries to both Tim Patrick and Damarea Crockett, the Denver Broncos have filled out their 90-man roster with additions at both the running back and wide receiver positions.
To replace Crockett on the roster, the Broncos signed undrafted rookie Max Borghi, a former Colorado high school standout and Washington State star who brings some fun intrigue to the running back position.
To replace Patrick on the roster, the team signed former Green Bay Packers undrafted free agent Darrius Shepherd, who most recently played in the USFL with the New Jersey Generals.
https://twitter.com/Broncos/status/1555205858912501761
Shepherd was signed out of North Dakota State back in 2019 by the Green Bay Packers and he wound up floating between the active roster and the practice squad, appearing in 14 games from 2019-2020.
Shepherd was well-traveled in 2021, spending time with the Chiefs, Cardinals, Vikings, and Steelers before joining the USFL in February 2022.
Now, with the injury to Tim Patrick, the Denver Broncos and head coach Nathaniel Hackett came calling.
Hackett was the Packers’ offensive coordinator from 2019-2021 so he’s obviously going to be very familiar with Shepherd and what he brings to the table.
And Shepherd did get onto the field in regular season action for the Packers.
Most notably, he returned 20 kickoffs for them from 2019-2020 but he also had six receptions for 47 yards.
Familiarity with Hackett and current Broncos OC Justin Outten certainly played a factor in Shepherd getting a tryout with the team on Wednesday, and he wasted no time making an impression at training camp.
No learning curve for Darrius Shepherd.
— Aric DiLalla (@AricDiLalla) August 4, 2022
Hauls in a bomb for a TD from Josh Johnson.
Nice play to start the day. One of Johnson’s best throws of camp, too.
You love to see guys fighting for their NFL lives making an impact.
Keep in mind, at one point, Tim Patrick was just another camp body and practice squad player. You never know when these guys are going to emerge and it’s cool to see someone like Shepherd getting a shot to make an impact.
With added value in the return game and an explosive play immediately upon his arrival at camp, you can’t help but be a little bit excited to see what he can do if given more opportunities.
https://twitter.com/USFLGenerals/status/1538204568449867777
He’s taken advantage of an opportunity before. Maybe this “camp body” can actually come in and make some noise for the Denver Broncos.