The Denver Broncos took more steps to shore up the offensive line on Wednesday when the team signed guard Robert Myers from the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad.
Denver had space on its 53-man roster after releasing safety Shaun Prater Tuesday. Prater was signed after safety David Bruton was placed on injured reserve last week. Bruton broke his fibula in a Week 15 loss to the Steelers. With the return of T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart last week, and the expected return of Omar Bolden this week, John Elway and Gary Kubiak apparently felt more confident about their depth at safety than along the offensive line.
Last week Max Garcia started in place of Evan Mathis, who played just six snaps in the Monday night win over the Bengals. The limited number of snaps for Mathis was somewhat surprising, as he had his first full week of practice in over a month in the week leading up to the Monday night game. But both Mathis and Louis Vasquez have battled injuries all season. Myers offers added depth at both positions.
Myers said he is willing to play either right or left guard. “I prefer football,” he told reporters Wednesday.
“I prefer football, but I started playing over on the left side in high school. It kind of moved over to the right side in college, so I’m kind of a right-handed guy, but at the Ravens I was everywhere—right and left. It’s not a big deal.”
Although he brings versatility, Myers does lack experience. He (6-foot-5, 335 pounds) is a rookie offensive lineman who spent the season on practice squads in Baltimore and Indianapolis. He was selected by the Ravens in the fifth round (176th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft from Tennessee State University.
Myers spent training camp with the Ravens before being claimed off waivers by Indianapolis. He spent Week 1 with the Colts’ practice squad before returning to the Ravens as a member of their practice squad from Weeks 2-16.
