Mile High Huddle

Broncos Sign Ex-Packers WR Darrius Shepherd

Warm-body depth in the receiver room.

Zack Kelberman

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Out goes Tim Patrick, in comes a new wide receiver.

On Thursday, two days after losing Patrick to a season-ending ACL injury, the Denver Broncos signed former Green Bay Packers WR Darrius Shepherd, the team announced.

A 2019 undrafted free agent, Shepherd played his first two seasons with the Packers, notching six catches for 47 scoreless yards. The North Dakota State product then spent last year touring various NFL practice squads — from Arizona to Minnesota to Pittsburgh — and even the New Jersey Generals of the upstart United States Football League.

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As a collegian, Shepherd totaled 2,841 yards and 20 touchdowns on 188 receptions in a Bison uniform, earning FCS All-American honors for his senior campaign. He measured 5-foot-10 1/2, 186 pounds at his Pro Day, with a 4.61-second forty time and 35.5-inch vertical jump.

“He had a pretty productive year at a pretty good program but a smaller program," Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said of Shepherd in August 2019. "Obviously, he’s not the biggest player out there. His measurements are typically not what you’re looking for – didn’t run particularly fast at his pro day – but he’s a football player. He has that instinctual ability to find spots, get open and catch the ball."

Reunited with coach Nathaniel Hackett, Shepherd joins a smorgasbord of Broncos wideouts (Seth Williams, Tyrie Cleveland, Kendall Hinton, Travis Fulgham) competing for snaps in the wake of Patrick's absence.

And he's made an immediate impression.

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Zack Kelberman
ZACK KELBERMAN

Zack Kelberman is the Senior Editor for Mile High Huddle. He has covered the NFL for more than a decade and the Denver Broncos since 2016. He's also the co-host of the wildly popular Broncos show the Mile High Huddle Podcast.

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