Getty Darrius Shepherd of the Packers
On Tuesday, August 2, the Denver Broncos lost one of their top wide receivers for the season in Tim Patrick after tearing his ACL. Patrick has caught over 1,400 yards over the past two seasons for Denver and has totaled up 11 touchdowns as well.
To add more depth to the wide receiver room, Denver went out and signed a familiar face to head coach Nathaniel Hackett.
The Broncos signed wide receiver Darrius Shepherd this morning, according to Mike Klis of 9News. Sheppard was with Hackett in Green Bay from 2019 to 2020.
Appearing in 14 games with the Packers, Shepherd caught six passes on 10 targets going for 47 yards.
Shepherd worked out for the Broncos on Wednesday along with six players including hometown running back Max Borghi who ended up signing with Denver as well.
Klis also mentioned that Shepherd had to wait for his USFL paperwork to clear. Shepherd played with the New Jersey Generals this year going for 323 yards on 27 receptions and scoring just one touchdown.
After being released by the Packers in 2020, Shepherd spent time bouncing around the league in 2021. Shepherd signed with the Chiefs, Cardinals, Vikings, and Steelers and was placed on the practice squads for all four teams.
Bigger Name WRs the Broncos Could Sign
Will Fuller: It seems like many teams could have some real interest in Fuller, but if the Broncos are contending for a Super Bowl this season, Denver could look to add the speedy wide receiver.
Fuller only appeared two games last season with the Dolphins, but in 2020 Fuller had a career year playing in just 11 games. With 53 catches and 879 yards, Fuller found the endzone eight times.
Cole Beasley: With Jerry Jeudy moving to the outside opposite of Courtland Sutton and K.J. Hamler still recovering from his ACL tear from last season, Denver could use one of the best slot receivers in the game.
Beasley was one of Josh Allen’s favorite targets over the past three seasons averaging over 100 targets and averaging 812 yards per season. The slot receiver only found the endzone 11 times those three seasons with Buffalo, but the Broncos have plenty of other ways to find the endzone.
Emmanuel Sanders: Denver could bring back the former Super Bowl 50 champion. “Mr. Reliable” was a name that people nicknamed Sanders because of how successful he was with Peyton Manning. Anytime there needed to be a big play on third down, Sanders found a way to make the catch after Maning’s wobbly passes.
Last season with Buffalo, Sanders caught 42 passes going for 626 yards and four touchdowns. If the Broncos decided to go this route, Hackett could put Sanders on the outside opposite of his former teammate Sutton and move Jeudy into the slot.
Don’t forget, Sanders still lives in Denver.
Training Camp Notes
Practices are slow under Hackett. Every other day the Broncos will have a walkthrough after being in pads the previous day. It’s not the most ideal way the fans and media want to watch practice, but it’s keeping the players healthy in the team’s mind.
Montrell Washington continues to make plays and is taking advantage of every opportunity he gets. The fifth-round pick is catching passes not from just the second and third-string quarterbacks, he’s scoring touchdowns against the ones with Russell Wilson throwing him the ball.
On Tuesday, Washington scored the game-winning touchdown after catching a pass in the corner of the endzone as time expired with Brett Rypien at quarterback. So far, it might be the highlight of camp.
Wilson has yet to wow everyone in camp. So far Wilson hasn’t made that “wow” throw that people are looking for. On his deep balls, the former Seahawk has underthrown his receivers quite a bit. Maybe the Broncos should wait to see what Wilson does during the season before giving him a big pay day.