Following a whirlwind of transactions, the Denver Broncos announced on Thursday that they had finalized their 53-man roster, re-signing offensive tackle Quinn Bailey, cornerback Fabian Moreau, and nose tackle Mike Purcell.
Denver also placed cornerback P.J. Locke (leg), offensive tackle Alex Palczewski (hand), and wide receiver K’Waun Williams (ankle) on short-term injured reserve, meaning they would miss the first four games of the 2023 regular season.
As promised, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) was not placed on injured reserve. Riley Moss, a rookie cornerback who will start in Week 1, was not as well due to core muscle surgery.
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Purcell, who decided to restructure his contract and was activated from the Non-Football Injury list, has had quite the week. He was released during final cuts with the assumption that he would soon return. He did, and it looks like he will serve as NT DJ Jones’ immediate backup going forward.
That’s really important to us,” Vance Joseph, the defensive coordinator, stated on Thursday. “Throughout camp, that defensive line has proven to be the most reliable, cohesive, and healthy bunch on the team. Mike’s addition only increases the depth.”
The Broncos signed Moreau on August 1st, his seventh NFL club after being a free agent since he was not Moss. The 29-year-old Moreau will offer veteran depth behind starting cornerbacks Patrick Surtain II and Damarri Mathis.
“He played quite a bit of snaps last year in New York,” head coach Sean Payton said of Moreau on Aug. 2. “He’s smart, and he’s one of those players that you know exactly what you are getting. I think there is a physicality to how he plays. He’s excelled in the kicking game, and he is someone who is smart. We’ve looked at him for a while now, and we’ve had a lot of good feedback from places he has been.”
Bailey, a 2019 undrafted free agent, has survived multiple Broncos coaching regimes and clawed his way onto the 53 following an impressive summer. The 6-foot-6, 323-pound blocker will serve as a swing tackle behind LT Garett Bolles and RT Mike McGlinchey.
“He had a good camp. He had a really good camp,” Payton said Tuesday. “We are excited for him.”
