Broncos Sign 3 New Veteran Skill-Position Players to Practice Squad

Say hello to the newest Denver Broncos on the practice squad.

The Denver Broncos have solidified their initial 53-man roster and 17-man practice squad. One of the 17 practice-squadders is exempt from counting against the 16-man limit, but three of these players are brand-new to the Broncos. 

On Wednesday, the Broncos signed former first-round wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, and thanks to 9NEWS' Mike Klis, we've since learned that two other players — fellow wideout David Sills and tight end Lucas Krull — were also added to the practice squad. 

The NFL altered its practice squad rules in response to the pandemic 2020 season, expanding the roster from 10 to 16 players and allowing teams to 'elevate' players to the gameday roster twice per season without exposing them to the waiver wire afterward. 

These newer rules have given NFL teams a lot more freedom and flexibility to maneuver during the regular season, which means Broncos fans are likely to see many of these practice squad players during the 2023 campaign. 

Dorsett is coming off a short stay with the Las Vegas Raiders but got his start as a first-round draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts. Later, he had a brief stint with Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks, so that familiarity could serve the 30-year-old wideout and the Broncos offense well. 

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Sills is a big 6-foot-3, 212-pound receiver who went undrafted out of West Virginia back in 2019. He spent time with two NFL clubs, including the New York Giants last year, where he caught 11 passes for 109 yards. He's a solid possession receiver. 

Krull went undrafted out of Pittsburgh last year, and his preseason finale with the New Orleans Saints last week was eerily similar to that of Albert Okwuegbunam, where he produced 106 yards on seven receptions. But the Saints still waived him. At 6-foot-6 and a whopping 260 pounds, Krull can hopefully be developed into a people mover on top of his solid (and perhaps underrated) receiving chops. 

The last few guys to land on an active roster or practice squad never sleep easy, especially over the first few weeks after teams make their initial cuts. However, each one of these newer faces ticks a box that was heretofore unchecked in Denver in the wake of the injury bug taking a massive bite out of this team's receiving corps — the tight ends notwithstanding. 

Time will tell how much the Broncos end up relying on this trio of newcomers, but even with Jerry Jeudy avoiding short-term injured reserve, the Broncos only have three healthy receivers on the active roster, so expect to see Dorsett and Sills early this season as practice-squad 'elevations.' 

Dorsett, Sills, and Krull were at Thursday's practice, along with the Broncos' 14 other practice squad players. New kicker Wil Lutz was also in attendance, practicing with the team for the first time. 

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