The Broncos on Sunday announced their eight-man practice squad. The group includes Darius Walker, pictured above, who led the team in rushing this preseason.
Marquez Branson, Tony Carter, Mitch Erickson, D.J. Johnson, Braxton Kelley, Everette Pedescleaux, Walker and Matthew Willis make up the squad.
All of the players spent time in camp with the Broncos this offseason.
Branson is a rookie free agent tight end from the University of Central Arkansas who played 23 career games in two seasons at Central Arkansas. He totaled 82 career receptions for 1,236 yards, finishing his collegiate career ranked fifth in Central Arkansas history with 18 receiving touchdowns.
Carter is a rookie free agent cornerback from Florida State University who started all 50 career games he played at FSU and totaled 139 tackles, nine interceptions and 26 passes defensed. He scored touchdowns on three interception returns and one fumble recovery return for the Seminoles, also becoming the first player in Florida State history to return a blocked extra point and a blocked field goal for scores in the same game when he accomplished the feat as a sophomore against Clemson.
Erickson is a first-year guard from South Dakota State University who joined the Broncos as a college free agent last season, and spent his rookie year on Denver’s practice squad. He started at either guard or tackle in every one of SDSU’s 44 games played during his four seasons at the school, receiving first-team All-America honors from the Associated Press as a senior.
Johnson is a rookie free agent cornerback from Jackson State University who played 24 career games in two seasons at Jackson State after beginning his collegiate career at the University of Missouri. He totaled 66 career tackles and 10 interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns, at Jackson State. He was named second-team All-America by the Associated Press and first-team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference as a senior.
Kelley is a rookie free agent inside linebacker from the University of Kentucky who totaled 287 tackles, 6.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and six pass breakups in 46 career games at Kentucky. He was teammates with fellow Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard in college as well as high school.
Pedescleaux is a rookie free agent defensive lineman from the University of Northern Iowa who played 51 career games at Northern Iowa and totaled 112 tackles, 11 sacks and six blocked kicks. He earned third-team All-America honors from the Associated Press as a senior in 2008.
Walker is a third-year running back who appeared in four games with two starts in Houston as a rookie in 2007, when he averaged 4.6 yards per carry along with a touchdown. He saw time on the rosters of the Texans and Rams last season, but didn’t appear in a game. He led the Broncos in rushing this preseason with 173 yards and two touchdowns.
Willis is a second-year wide receiver who spent the final week of the 2008 season on Denver’s practice squad after a brief stint on Baltimore’s practice squad early in the year. He saw time in five games for the Ravens as a rookie in 2007, totaling one tackle on special teams along with an 11-yard reception.
-Gray Caldwell, DenverBroncos.com
Tags: Practice Squad
no swift
yay…now please, everyone stop crying about walker being let go. lol
I think that they will do well
Keep in mind that other teams can pick up Walker off the PS if they want him. That still makes me nervous.
So, Kory Lichstensteiger is with the Vikings. Tim Crowder was also claimed off waivers by the Bucs, but ended up a free agent. Tampa claimed more players than they had available roster spots so Crowder wasn’t among those they kept.
Good… now I hope Lamont Jordan gets hurt or something so Darrius gets back on board… (Is that a bad thing to hope for?) Because to me Darrius looked more deserving to be on the team still
When are we going to find out about Marshall??????
I like the list, I would have like Lee Robinson on there. But no real complaints, looks like a good group of guys.
DD your reaction on the Seymour trade.You know in the Bible it says”thou shall not covet”?Well I definitely covet him for our defense .NE figures Oakland to be bad for the next couple of years.
and they can’t count on the Broncos to be.
Yeah, Tim Crowder had a great off season. Darius Walker looked awesome as well. Makes me wish we could keep 60 guys on the active roster. But overall I feel confident that the team McD put together is going to turn some heads this year. I definately feel it’s very plausible that we win the AFC west. I wish the real seson would hurry up and start. lol
GO BRONCOS!!!!!
This season is certainly going to be interesting , (to say the least) !!! Being a true Bronco fan , all I can do is hope for the best , and cheer on the rest … time will tell … I have to admit that it just seems down right weird to see Josh on the Broncos sideline instead of Mike , and I AM going to miss him !!!
Welcome BBabe. Im sure you have been entertained by most of the post recently happening heh.
Yeah, I definately think Belichek (sp?) is counting on the Gaiders to continue there losing ways. That way New England should get a top 10 pick in 2011. If he felt Seymour was the missing link in making the Gaiders a playoff team, he wouldn’t have done it. haha
My money says Belichek is right. lol
and as far as the practice squad goes …. there you go again , “time will tell” …. That seems to be what the Broncos will be all about this year , because they are so new to their lineup ….
Go Broncos …..
So who did they get rid of to make room for Marshall?
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/7333/marshall-getting-another-chance-in-denver
No talk of Merriman? I guess I’ll start it… I’m so happy he got in trouble because you know he’s gonna be suspended. Yes, I am a DIE-HARD Broncos fan, but I’m not stupid, with Merriman not on the field, the Chargers D# isn’t nearly as good. The guy is a definate force on the field and it’s a good thing that he probably won’t be there. He’s sorta like the Chargers equivalent to The Colts Bob Sanders.
GO BRONCOS!!! Can’t wait for B-Dawk to clean Ochocinco’s clock next Sunday!!!
Haha… “Gaiders”
Too funny… toooo funny
Just found the answer to my question – the league gace them an extra day…
http://www.gazette.com/sports/marshall-61535-day-roster.html
Oh yea… haha, I had actually read that too
As a player… I want Marshall to be a Bronco forever.
As a man… I think he would be better suited as a Raider.
What do you guys think? Do you want him or not?
I want him, he’s too good on the field to worry about him being a cry baby. His actions are very Cutler-esk
lol, I was just about to start talk on Meriman lol….happy he in trouble…hopefully he gets suspended. Never liked him. As a Bronco fan obviously but also after i heard he used steroids. Suspend him please. This has gotta be like his 3rd strike or something lol. Make our year easier.
As far as the practice squad goes…its a good looking one. didnt doubt Darius Walker would make it but I believe he shoulda made the team instead of Jordan and I stand by that. Im not the coach and I dont make those decisions so its whatever.
As far as Marshall goes, that one day is a funny one because what are they gonna do release him?!?!?!?!? No…and if they trade hiim they will be getting another player in return cuz i doubt they just want only draft picks. Im ready for this offseason drama to be over personally.
Maybe if we hadnt trade a 1st round pick next year for a second round pick this year we could have gotten Seymour…..still think that move was dumb even tho it gave us phonzy. But time will tell….time will tell about everything…….
I want Marshall to stay….Denver knows his value which is the reason he isnt out the door this year…especially after losing a pro bowl qb???? we need every offensive weapon possible to make our new qbs lives easier. Marshall is a great player and his adition will make offense run alot better this year….he just has random surges of stupidity….lets hope they are over or drop to a minimum. I hate to see wasted talent.
TheRoyalBeast: Who’s phonzy? I’m sure you’ll tell me who and I’ll feel like an idiot, but I can’t figure out who that is. Who is phonzy?
ooohhhh, Alphonso Smith!!!
duh, I’m not the brightest tool in the shed, lol
I don’t understand what one day did either. They shouldn’t have to put too much though into it, they have to know who the next person on the bubble is. Makes me wonder if they gave Marshall the night to “think about it.” Of course that would assume he hasn’t had enough nights to think about it already.
Uh, yea… you’re one taco from a combo platter haha…
Jk… it’s cool. You’re only humanhaha
Ellismate
lol, no worries…the first time people started calling him phonzy i was like….WHO???? lol. Took a couples seconds to register lol.
I’m not quite sure why everyone likes Walker soo much? He looked OK in the 4th pre-game against scrubs, but was I the only one who saw him gasping for air and beggind to come out of the game in the second qtr? I call his stamina into question there.
paulbedichek, I think the Raiders are idiots to give up a 1st rounder for a 2nd stringer in Seymour. Al is seriously losing it. Will it put the Raiders over the top? Heck no. Even with him on the field, we have Clady and Harris to counter him. No problem.
Headscratchin, yeah I posted that about the extra day on a different article. I think the extra day is more or less a courtesy thing from the league. Marshall practiced and attended the meetings. Who Denver gets rid of is hard to say. Marshall is staying in Denver. Oh, and I read that all the Jets talk was from Marshalls agent, begging the Broncos to release Marshall to the jets. Denver said NOPE, NOW GET OUT OF MY OFFICE! (Okay, they didn’t really say ALL that, but they did say “no”, ha, ha).
When he (Walker) wasn’t running the ball, he was playing receiver. He never came out of the game. He was blocking, running, receiving. Even when he wasn’t the primary receiver, he was running routes. They worked him hard.
Anyone watching the CSU vs CU game????
GO RAMS!!!
Yeah, I’m watching it. Did anyone catch the score of the Falcons game yesterday? 72-0 over Nicholls State. Sheesh, what a slaughter. GO FALCONS!
Ellismate_#1fan i agree about Meriman glad his out makes our lives easier.
So how much longer until Marshall figures out he needs a new agent – unless, of course, Marshall is the one totally pulling the strings.
For me personally, I know Walker isn’t a key back for us to have to be successfull… BUT: Compared to someone else to be our 4th back, I’d like him being there… He can fill in if needed… I love him at a different level then how I love Moreno… (ya get it?)
If Marshall is his own agent he should Fire him self for all the stupid things he has done.
This practice squad looks good. I liked Crowder but we’ve had stiff competition at the outside linebacker/defensive end this year. I wasn’t that impressed by Walker honestly he averaged what 3.3 yards a carry running against the Cards 2nd and 3d string. Ya i know he had a backup for the line to. But any way I’m so HAPPY Marshall got his suspension lifted and should play against the Bengals. I for one can’t wait to see him out there for us again. He’s our biggest weapon. (not including Moreno yet) I hope to see Moreno out there to but only if he’s healthy.
Seeingisbelivin, ha, ha, classic.
I am soooo looking forward to watching Moreno play. I feel like a child with a new toy. I’ll be watching the game this Sunday, wearing my orange Moreno jersey and drinking a pitcher of beer. The following week, I’ll be wearing my blue Royal jersey (it’s in the mail). I would buy a white Clady jersey but I never liked the white jersey. Maybe I’ll get a Dawkins in Blue? Decisions, decisions…..
Clayton has deemed the franchise only capable of 3 wins this year. Sorry “Professor,” think you’re going to get schooled on this one. With the addition of Holliday (even in a limited role), the defense is going to actual make some noise. Having a Pro Bowl 10+ year man to guide the youngsters will only make the D-Line better. Plus he, Goodman, and Hill played together last year–adding more veteran cohesion.
Offense may not be as explosive as last year, but McD’s offense has a relentless aspect to it (anybody else scream at the tv after 5 successful passes in a row to W.Welker?) that wears a defense down. And it’s not designed for an impatient gunslinger who will throw 17 picks a year, so thankfully we don’t have one anymore.
I asked this a few days ago and received different answers. What home game do the broncos wear their old uniforms? There is only one home game and one away game. Can someone tell me for sure.
Hey, so I was reading about the Merriman incident only because of the women involved (the very sexy Tila Tequila) and I happened to read this about his status with the Chargers…. (Smith is Merriman’s agent)
“Smith reportedly has been unhappy with Merriman’s extracurricular activities, and there’s been speculation the Chargers will let him leave when he’s eligible to become an unrestricted free agent. Merriman has various business ventures and is enamored with the Los Angeles social scene. While on injured reserve last year he flew back and forth to Los Angeles once a week to appear on a football preview show.”
So looks like this might be Merrimans last year in San Diego. Its likely too with “Cry Me A Rivers” getting a new contract and some other key free agents the Chargers can not let go. So what do you think about signing him next year?? Just a thought….
Also the organization always gives something away to fans,or the first however many fans before each home game, can anyone tell me what those things are and what games they will be given.
I think since coach wants 2 keep Jordan on the team he shud move him 2 fullback. I think he shud do more blocking then running the ball or receiving it. He’s nt the same Jordan he use 2 b, lost a lots of steps 2 his running game. As big as he is he shud b able 2 help open holes up 4 the otha backs. Wat u think?
Nice I think the team is coming together, who do you think they will cut to make room for Marshall? Moss? Barrett? Also what do you guys think about Jets getting O’Connell, do you think they are making a play for marshall?
why would we want O’Connell we have three good QBs
the home game we were the throw backs is the pats game
Well McD put a filer out for O’Connell but the Lions got him. I think he wants him and that could just sweeten the deal with the Jets.