The Denver Broncos have elevated fullback Michael Burton and wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 1's road tilt at the Seattle Seahawks. The Broncos announced the move officially on Saturday after telegraphing it via their unofficial Week 1 depth chart revelation earlier this week.
It's always curious to see a pair of practice-squad players listed on a team's depth chart during the regular season. But with all of the NFL's rule changes since 2020, the times they have a-changed.
The practice squad has not only ballooned to 16 players (from 10), but team's can 'elevate' these players to the gameday roster twice without having to expose them to waivers following the bout. The third time a player is 'elevated,' he can still return to the team's practice squad, but only after passing through the NFL waiver wire.
Burton enters his 10th NFL season and is a Sean Payton guy, which is why everyone was surprised to see him on the cutting-room floor when the Broncos forged their initial 53-man roster out of training camp. But now we see the strategy; it will be curious to see what the Broncos do after exhausting all of Burton's elevations.
Humphrey is a 6-foot-4, 225-pound receiver entering his sixth year with 41 NFL games (16 starts) under his belt. He's also a long-time Payton acolyte who brings that experience in the scheme and a long, physical frame to the table, which will hopefully help the Broncos establish the ground game at Lumen Field on Sunday.
Humphrey brings 31 receptions for 477 yards and six touchdowns to the table. Meanwhile, Burton's 35 career rushes for 71 yards and a touchdown, as well as his 21 receptions for 131 yards and another score, is the window dressing for his true value to the Broncos: his lead-blocking acumen and special teams savvy.
