The Denver Broncos addressed their banged-up offensive line amid a flood of transactions ahead of Sunday’s home matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The team on Tuesday signed offensive tackle Cameron Fleming and center Dieter Eiselen (as well as wide receiver Kaden Davis) to the practice squad, from which running back Salvon Ahmed and defensive back Quinton Newsome were released.
Denver also promoted inside linebacker Levelle Bailey to the 53-man roster and placed offensive guard Will Sherman on the Practice Squad/Injured list.
A tenth-year veteran, Fleming returns to the Broncos after making 26 appearances including 20 starts for the organization from 2021-23. He hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since.
Eiselen (6-4, 315) went undrafted out of Yale in 2020 and played in 24 games as a reserve for the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans. The former FCS All-American was waived by Houston at final cuts.
The moves will serve as a semblance of insurance after Broncos starting left tackle Garett Bolles, center Luke Wattenberg, and right tackle Alex Palczewski all suffered injuries during last week’s victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Primary swing tackle Matt Peart is expected to replace Palczewski (who had been filling in for incumbent RT Mike McGlinchey) while Denver is preparing sophomore interior lineman Alex Forsyth to potentially start in Wattenberg’s stead. Bolles’ status remains unclear as of this writing.
“They both played well,” head coach Sean Payton said of Peart and Forsyth on Monday. “We’ll see how the week unfolds relative to our own guys. I’m glad we have that kind of depth and experience. Certainly, Matt has more experience than Alex, but it’s kind of a little bit of the nature of our business. Guys stepped up, and right away filled in and did the job.”
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