Though their season has only been over for two days, the Denver Broncos have already been hard at work. On Monday, they sadly lost head coach Gary Kubiak to retirement. On Tuesday however, they brought 11 players into the fold.
The Broncos announced that they have signed 11 players to future contracts. Amongst the group is nine players who ended the season on the team’s practice squad. All 11 will be officially added to the Broncos roster when the new league year begins on March 9.
Of the two newcomers, perhaps the most intriguing (and certainly the most prolific) is running back Bernard Pierce. Selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round (84th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft, Pierce has appeared in 52 career regular season games with the Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars. The 26-year old has 359 career carries for 1,345 yards; posting another 209 yards in six postseason games. He spent the entire 2016 campaign on injured reserve.
Thanks to the Broncos’ struggles in the running game last season, there is a chance that Pierce will be able to carve out a role for himself in 2017. If nothing else, he will at least be able to push C.J. Anderson, Devontae Booker and Kapri Bibbs during the preseason.
The Broncos also signed rookie long snapper Jeff Overbaugh, who had a tryout in Denver during the season, but was not signed at the time. He spent the preseason with the Los Angeles Rams, who signed him as a college free agent. He had a perfect season snapping the ball in 2015, as a senior for San Diego State.
Here is the full list of players signed:
- Zac Brooks RB 6-0 200 22 R Clemson
- Dillon Day C 6-4 299 25 1 Mississippi State
- Iosia Iosia DE 6-7 297 25 R West Texas A&M
- Justin Murray T 6-5 304 23 R Cincinnati
- Jeff Overbaugh LS 6-2 240 23 R San Diego State
- Bernard Pierce RB 6-0 222 26 5 Temple
- Travis Raciti DL 6-4 305 24 1 San Jose State
- Steven Scheu TE 6-5 255 24 R Vanderbilt
- Hunter Sharp WR 5-11 198 22 R Utah State
- Kevin Snyder LB 6-2 245 24 1 Rutgers
- Austin Traylor TE 6-3 255 23 R Wisconsin