Denver Broncos: DeMarcus Ware to IR and other roster moves
The Denver Broncos placed pass rusher DeMarcus Ware on injured reserve, potentially having played his last game with the team. Other moves were made…
The Denver Broncos made some tough roster decisions on Wednesday afternoon, sending future Hall of Fame pass rusher DeMarcus Ware and special teams captain Kayvon Webster to injured reserve while promoting a couple of practice squad players.
Defensive tackle Kyle Peko and defensive back Taurean Nixon were promoted from the practice squad to the active 53-man roster.
The move to place Ware and Webster on injured reserve is a good move for all involved parties. Ware would like to play another season in the NFL, in Denver or otherwise, but his health and the situation with his back are serious question marks at this point.
Webster has had a long list of injuries as well, and is playing for his first open-market contract. While Webster hasn’t grown into a starting cornerback for the Broncos (their depth at corner is ridiculous…), he has blossomed into a key special teams player.
Webster’s prowess on special teams the last couple of seasons has been a critical piece to the Broncos’ success. In particular, his abilities on coverage units in the playoffs last season was a big reason why the Broncos were able to keep opponents at bay and win with their elite defense.
There is a future for Webster in this league as a starting cornerback, and he’s likely to pursue that elsewhere this offseason. The Broncos could offer him a contract, but he will want more playing time. After suffering a scary concussion in recent weeks, Webster was placed on injured reserve in a classy move by the Broncos to keep him out of harm’s way before he goes after that open-market deal.
The same could be said for Ware, but to a lesser degree.
The move to add Peko and Nixon to the active roster is a no-brainer, and those guys will not have to wait until the start of the new league year to resume offseason work with the team. This is another shrewd move by the Broncos to make sure a couple of guys they think highly of will unquestionably be with the team next year.
The good part about missing the playoffs is that the Broncos are able to make these moves and not wait on future contracts. There’s one game left, so placing players like Ware and Webster in IR is beneficial for both the players and the franchise.
More from Predominantly Orange
With three open spots on the practice squad, the Broncos added a couple of interesting names as well in center Reese Dismukes, wide receiver Hunter Sharp, and defensive lineman Iosia Iosia.
Dismukes is a former top center prospect who lacks elite level size, but graded out as a top five center in the class of 2015 and has bounced around the league a bit. He will get a jump start with the Broncos now, along with the other players, and be able to study the playbook while awaiting the new league year to be officially added to the roster.
Dismukes was a four-year starter for Auburn, and was a Rimington Award winner. He was a popular mock draft pick for the Broncos for those who go deep into mock drafts as a potential mid-round selection.
He ended up signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted player, and was with the Carolina Panthers through August of 2016. He hasn’t been with an NFL team since then, and will now have a chance to compete for a backup center spot with the Broncos.
Sharp is an intriguing playmaker at the wide receiver position who competed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent out of Utah State. He’ll have plenty of competition at wide receiver with the Broncos throughout the offseason, but he showed off some skills while a member of the Aggies.
Iosia Iosia is a 6-5, 300 pound defensive lineman who played college ball at West Texas A&M. He’ll be an intriguing athletic specimen along the defensive line to take a look at during offseason work.