Chase Edmonds is on his way back, Jarrett Guarantano earns an active roster spot and other Broncos roster moves

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos made eight roster moves early this week, following a win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Here’s what went down:

• The Broncos designated running back Chase Edmonds to return from injured reserve on Wednesday.
  
• They added linebacker Dakota Allen and cornerback Darius Phillips to injured reserve on Tuesday and Wednesday.
  
• They signed quarterback Jarrett Guarantano and offensive lineman Christian DiLauro from their practice squad on Tuesday and Wednesday.
  
• They signed guard Parker Ferguson and defensive back Devon Key to their practice squad on Tuesday.
  
• They released linebacker Harvey Langi on Tuesday.
  
• The Broncos now have a full 53-man roster and a full practice squad. When Chase Edmonds is activated off of IR, the Broncos need to release another player from the 53-man roster.

---

When the Broncos lost their top running back duo of Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon, they made two major moves to patch the hole.

First, they signed veteran back Latavius Murray as a between-the-tackles bruiser who can eat up a dozen carries a game.

Second, they traded for running back Chase Edmonds from the Dolphins at the trade deadline.

Murray has exceeded expectations so far in his nine games with the Broncos, which included a 130-yard performance and the first game ball of his career on Sunday.

Edmonds has appeared in two games, played 18 total snaps and has 15 yards from scrimmage. Those numbers should all grow on Sunday.

Head coach Nathaniel Hackett said ahead of Wednesday’s practice that Edmonds will participate, which will start his three-week window to return to the active roster. So far, every player the Broncos have activated from IR has played in the first game after their first practice, which indicates Edmonds should be back on Sunday. Whenever Edmonds returns, the Broncos need to release a player from their 53-man roster to clear space.

While Edmonds wasn’t much of a factor in his first two games as Bronco, he could provide a needed punch immediately.

The 26-year-old has made a career as a receiving back. Nearly 40% of his production from scrimmage has come through the air during his five-year career. In 2020, he finished sixth among NFL running backs with 402 rushing yards.

The Miami Dolphins gave Edmonds a two-year, $12 million contract this offseason, but he fell to the bottom of the running back rotation and was eventually traded to the Broncos. Denver can keep Edmonds for $6 million next year or cut him and pay nothing. A restructuring could also be possible.

With Javonte Williams likely to be sidelined through at least September and his form when he returns up in the air, the Broncos will likely add significant help at running back this offseason. This year’s free agent running back class is loaded, with at least nine backs with significant starting experience under 28 years old hitting the market. Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Kareem Hunt and Miles Sanders are among the headliners. The draft could also be an option.

If Edmonds makes noise in the final three weeks of the season, particularly if he provides a spark in the passing game, there’s no reason the Broncos can’t find room for him next season. Given his contract situation, Edmonds should at least be around through training camp.

---

The additions of linebacker Dakota Allen and cornerback Darius Phillips to injured reserve, give the Broncos 18 players currently on the list. That includes Chase Edmonds, who is likely to be activated his week.

The Broncos currently have the most players on injured reserve in the league. Five teams are tied for second-most with 15.

Here’s the full list of Broncos on injured reserve, in case your memory needs to be jogged:

Player	Pos	Age	Exp	College
Christopher Allen	OLB	24	R	Alabama
Dakota Allen	LB	27	4	Texas Tech
Garett Bolles	T	30	6	Utah
Mike Boone	RB	27	5	Cincinnati
Damarea Crockett	RB	24	2	Missouri
Lloyd Cushenberry III	C	25	3	LSU
Ronald Darby	CB	28	8	Florida State
Chase Edmonds	RB	26	5	Fordham
Mitchell Fraboni	LS	26	1	Arizona State
Jonas Griffith	ILB	25	2	Indiana State
KJ Hamler	WR	23	3	Penn State
Dre’Mont Jones	DE	25	4	Ohio State
Jake Martin	OLB	27	5	Temple
Aaron Patrick	OLB	26	2	Eastern Kentucky
Tim Patrick	WR	29	5	Utah
Darius Phillips	CB	27	5	Western Michigan
Caden Sterns	S	23	2	Texas
Javonte Williams	RB	22	2	North Carolina

---

Three weeks ago, Jarrett Guarantano was a street free agent.

Now, he’s a full-blown member of the Broncos’ 53-man roster.

Guarantano, an undrafted rookie quarterback out of Tennessee, spent the offseason with the Cardinals and signed with their practice squad for the first month of the season. He was released and joined the Broncos’ practice squad a few weeks ago. When Russell Wilson missed last weekend’s game against the Cardinals, the Broncos gave Guarantano a uniform and made him the backup quarterback for the day.

But Cardinals quarterback Colt McCoy went down with a concussion, KOA’s Brandon Krisztal reported that the Cardinals tried to sign Guarantano from the Broncos’ practice squad to their active roster. The Broncos countered with an offer of their own, and Guarantano chose to stay in Denver.

As of now, it appears the Broncos will carry three quarterbacks on their active roster for the rest of the season. Typically teams like to save a roster spot by only keeping two quarterbacks, but given the Broncos’ injury situation the back end of the roster isn’t packed with players the Broncos should be scared of losing.

The Guarantano situation is reminiscent of Netane Muti’s departure. The Broncos activated the 23-year-old guard because of injuries and performed well against the Chiefs. The day after the game, the Raiders offered him a spot on their 53-man roster. The Broncos countered with an offer of their own, but Muti elected to leave for Vegas. He didn’t play a snap in his first game with the Raiders on Sunday.

The Broncos only have one quarterback under contract for 2023: Russell Wilson. Guarantano could be a cheap backup option if he proves he’s capable of doing the job. By promoting Guarantano to the 53-man roster, the Broncos are signaling this could be the case. Either that or they don’t want to risk only having two quarterbacks in the organization for the last three weeks of the season.