Shortly after welcoming him back, the Denver Broncos released veteran wide receiver Kaden Davis on Monday. The move was made to create room for rookie cornerback Quinton Newsome, whom the Broncos signed to the practice squad.
An undrafted rookie out of Nebraska, Newsome signed with the Broncos and competed through the offseason training program, training camp, and the preseason. He’s also spent time on the team’s practice squad.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Newsome earned All-Big Ten honorable mention accolades at Nebraska last year. He started 10 games, notching 37 tackles (20 solo), three passes defensed, one interception, and one fumble recovery.
The Georgia native gives the Broncos some additional insurance in the wake of Patrick Surtain II’s concussion. Surtain is in the NFL’s mandated concussion protocol and isn’t expected to play on Thursday night vs. the New Orleans Saints.
It’s unclear exactly what the Broncos plan to do at cornerback vs. the Saints, but it’ll probably look similar to what we saw in Sunday’s 23-16 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Nickel cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian moved to the boundary opposite Riley Moss in base packages.
When Vance Joseph deployed the nickel defense, McMillian kicked back inside and veteran Levi Wallace stepped to the boundary. The Broncos have other options, though, including rookie fifth-rounder Kris Abrams-Draine and Damarri Mathis, the latter of whom has been practicing in full the past two weeks since the Broncos started his clock on returning from injured reserve.
However, if the Broncos opt to activate Mathis to the 53-man roster, they’ll have to make a corresponding roster cut. So stay tuned, as the Broncos defense is poised to take on Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler, with Derek Carr injured.
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