{"id":1314250,"date":"2019-09-03T20:28:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-04T02:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/broncos-welcome-7-new-players-to-team\/"},"modified":"2019-09-03T20:28:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-04T02:28:00","slug":"broncos-welcome-7-new-players-to-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/broncos-welcome-7-new-players-to-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Broncos welcome 7 new players to team"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Brandon Allen throws under pressure against the Denver Broncos during the first half of an NFL preseason football game Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Rick Scuteri)<\/strong>
AP | FR157181 AP<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

ENGLEWOOD \u2014 If nothing else, the Denver Broncos should be fresh for their season opener Monday night at Oakland.<\/p>\n

Not only did the players get a dozen days off between the start of training camp on July 18 and cutdown weekend, but they\u2019re getting two days off this week even as coaches work in seven new players whose first workout with the team came Monday in a 99-degree scorcher .<\/p>\n

Quarterback Joe Flacco only took 30 snaps in the preseason, directing four drives that produced two field goals, as he prepares for his second chapter in Denver and his first regular-season action since November.<\/p>\n

He and the other starters on offense sat out the last two exhibition games, so they\u2019ll have had a nearly three-week break by the time they play the Raiders.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean Vic Fangio is one of those head coaches who view September as a time to establish an identity after using starters sparingly in the preseason.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, we hope we know who we are. Now, obviously we may learn some things in these games \u2026\u201d Fangio said. \u201cBut, no, we\u2019re trying to go out and we think we know who we are and play that way right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it could change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just like his roster in the 48 hours following cuts.<\/p>\n

With seven newcomers, Fangio said he hadn\u2019t had time to talk with each of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been so hectic,\u201d Fangio said. \u201cThey were in here at 6:30 this morning, took a physical and got suited up. Haven\u2019t had a big message for them yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he does get to that, it\u2019ll probably be something along the lines of getting ready to pitch in immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing about these guys that you\u2019ve claimed from other teams, yes, they\u2019re coming in and learning a new system. But they\u2019ve come from other camps, so they\u2019re football-ready,\u201d Fangio said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s actually easier to come in and learn in a game week than it is in training camp because things are pared down and dialed in more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Only the Cardinals and Dolphins had more waiver wire claims than the Broncos, who filled four major needs by claiming backup QB Brandon Allen from the Rams, fullback\/tight end Andrew Beck from New England, guard\/center Corey Levin from Tennessee and receiver\/returner Diontae Spencer from Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

They also traded for Patriots cornerback Duke Dawson, signed ex-Bengals cornerback Davontae Harris and re-signed inside linebackers Keishawn Bierria, who played 16 games for them last season, and Corey Nelson, who played in Denver from 2014-17.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not the only team that\u2019s had these roster gymnastics,\u201d Fangio said. \u201cIt happens every year. John (Elway) and his guys were keeping track of everyone around the league, and we just felt that with each and every move it helped make us better. It doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s right, but that\u2019s what we\u2019re thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Broncos needed help at linebacker with leading tackler Todd Davis (calf) and top reserve Joe Jones (triceps) out. Fangio said \u201cthere\u2019s a chance\u201d Davis could return to practice this week and play in the opener, but Harris stepped right in calling defensive plays.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been around the league a few times and each team I\u2019ve been on I had the green sticker\u201d allowing him to receive audio transmissions from the coaching staff, Nelson said. \u201cI\u2019ve been making the calls. So, it\u2019s nothing new to me. It will be nothing unfamiliar. I\u2019m used to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harris, Nelson and Bierra replaced QB Drew Lock, TE Jake Butt and RB Theo Riddick, all of whom went on injured reserve.<\/p>\n

Spencer played four seasons in the Canadian Football League, where he returned 191 punts, including a whopping 82 last season for Ottawa.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a seasoned returner,\u201d Fangio said.<\/p>\n

Spencer originally signed with the Rams in 2014, and after he was cut, he went to the CFL to try to get back to the NFL.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never thought it would take four years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Allen steps in as Flacco\u2019s backup with Lock out for at least eight games with a sprained right thumb.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe comes from a similar system, so hopefully his learning curve will be short,\u201d Fangio said.<\/p>\n

Allen won\u2019t be spending his two off days this week relaxing, that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll be pretty extreme,\u201d Allen said of the crash course awaiting him in this offense. \u201cI think it\u2019s not about trying to learn it all in the first week, but it\u2019s about being comfortable with some of the stuff they might have me do if that happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Brandon Allen throws under pressure against the Denver Broncos during the first half of an NFL preseason football game Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Rick Scuteri)AP | FR157181 AP ENGLEWOOD \u2014 If nothing else, the Denver Broncos should be fresh for their season opener Monday night at Oakland. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1314250","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-26 22:18:32","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1314250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1314250"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1314250\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1314250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1314250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1314250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}