If he signs with the Denver Broncos, and actually plays, he would be the oldest player to ever play a snap for the team.
The Denver Broncos suffered a handful of injuries to important players in their blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys, including backup tight end Nate Adkins. With Adkins playing such a crucial role this season as a blocker, the Broncos immediately went on the hunt for blocking options at the tight end position, but struck out on the waiver wire.
So how did they pivot? Well, they brought in one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL over the last 20 years, and I mean that in a very literal sense. Former first-round pick Marcedes Lewis came to Denver for a tryout, and it sounds like he may be coming on board the practice squad soon.
Broncos looking at Marcedes Lewis to fill current void at the tight end position
Marcedes Lewis is the surprising former first-round pick the Broncos brought in for a visit and tryout, and at 41 years old, he's a physical marvel, to say the least. Lewis was a first-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars back in 2006, when the Denver Broncos traded up to get quarterback Jay Cutler in the first round.
The 2006 NFL Draft was also Sean Payton's very first draft class as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
Lewis has not only been in the NFL since 2006, but he's been largely out there doing the dirty work for that amount of time. To have that kind of physical toll on your body year after year, and still be doing it nearly 20 years later?
That's admirable, if nothing else.
There is a shortage right now in the NFL of true blocking tight ends. We've seen the Broncos prioritize guys like this under Sean Payton, bringing in free agent Chris Manhertz back in 2023, trading for Adam Trautman, and developing Nate Adkins. The Broncos love to go with a "jumbo" personnel setup to run the ball, but you have to have guys who know how to block for it to actually work.
And Marcedes Lewis knows how to block.
If nothing else, signing Lewis to the practice squad would be a tremendous use of a practice squad spot, and some free elevations to the gameday roster. Why not?
The NFL trade deadline is not until November 4, so the Broncos still have time, and Lewis has played so much football that he could be trusted to do whatever he's asked at this point.
Despite the fact that he's been in the NFL since 2006, Lewis has shockingly only played for three teams. He played 12 seasons with the Jaguars before playing five years with the Packers, and two years with the Bears after that.
Lewis is tough, dependable, and great for an NFL locker room. Everyone must have assumed that he was retired at this point, because he still played over 200 snaps last year and over 300 the year before that. He simply does not miss games, either.
This would be a quality signing for the Broncos at this stage of the season with injuries mounting at tight end.