ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The final spots on NFL teams remain fluid. Tuesday's Broncos' roster is not the same as today's, with veteran nose tackle Mike Purcell and tight end Eric Tomlinson added to the 53-man with cornerback Michael Ojemudia and tight end Greg Dulcich landing on the short-term injured reserve list.
The hope is that both will be available by the fifth week of the season. Uncertainty about injuries and performance make the practice squad important. The Broncos filled out their practice squad on Wednesday, beginning with veteran quarterback Josh Johnson. He was not subject to waivers as a vested veteran, and was re-signed this morning, per a source.
The other players were added with the list becoming official later Wednesday, according to sources. The Broncos brought back receiver Kendall Hinton. He has played cornerback, quarterback and receiver for the Broncos over the past few seasons. He is reliable, and coachable, providing insurance.
Defensive tackle McTelvin Agim was also brought back. He made a strong push to make the team in the preseason finale against the Vikings with multiple sacks and a forced fumble. He lost out to rookie Matt Henningsen, but is now back in the fold. Rookie cornerback Faion Hicks was in the mix for a spot with a surprising camp, but could use more seasoning.
Tight end Dylan Parham attracted interest from multiple teams, but heads back to Denver's practice squad.
Offensive guard Netane Muti, defensive lineman Jonathan Harris and linebacker Kana’i Mauga returned, as expected.
Teams claimed 33 total players, but no claims were awarded to the Broncos. The Bears topped the list with five claimed players, or roughly 10 percent of their roster.
The practice squad works this way. Each team is allowed 16 players, 10 with two or few accrued seasons and six with unlimited experience. A practice squad player can be elevated to the gameday roster a maximum of three times. The veteran weekly salary is $15,400-$19,900 with the non-veterans at $11,500, numbers that count against the salary cap.
The updated practice squad as of 2 p.m. is as follows:
DL McTelvin Agim
Tackle Quinn Bailey
DL Jonathan Harris
CB Faion Hicks
WR Kendall Hinton
QB Josh Johnson
OLB Kogbo Kana'i Mauga
CB Ja'Quan McMillian
G Netane Muti
RB Devine Ozigbo
TE Dylan Parham
WR Darrius Shepherd
