As the preseason continues, the Denver Broncos have had no shortage of injury scares. The most notable one from this week stemmed from offensive tackle Garrett Bolles leaving practice, but things are settling on that front. An underlying issue in the secondary has flown under the radar, though.
Luckily, general manager George Paton is working to rectify the situation. Denver is adding to its defensive backfield ahead of Saturday’s preseason contest against the Arizona Cardinals.
Broncos Sign CB Micah Abraham Ahead of Second Preseason Game
Per the Broncos, they signed cornerback Micah Abraham to the roster on Friday. This transaction comes in the aftermath of injuries to fellow corners Reese Taylor and Gregory Junior. In a corresponding move to make room for Abraham on the 90-man allotment, Junior was waived with an injury designation.
Abraham was a sixth-round selection by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2024 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, he ultimately got waived last August and latched on with the Cincinnati Bengals‘ practice squad for a while. After that, he spent some time with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the UFL and is now back in the NFL with the Broncos.
In five collegiate seasons at Marshall, Abraham, racked up 150 tackles, 43 passes broken up and 12 interceptions. He led the Sun Belt Conference in picks in both 2022 and 2023, pacing the field for passes defended in the latter campaign. The 24-year-old is listed at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds and has yet to appear in a regular-season NFL game.
A former sixth-round pick, Junior spent his first two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In 10 regular-season games, he played 222 combined snaps between defense and special teams while recording 17 combined tackles (2 for loss). He’s since been with Indianapolis, the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers before briefly joining Denver on August 10.
Taylor, 25, appeared in one game for the Broncos last season. He played 13 special teams snaps in Week 15’s victory over the Colts. The former Indiana and Purdue standout first joined the organization in 2023 on a practice squad basis and has mainly stuck around there.
How Much Will Denver’s Starters Play Against Cardinals on Saturday?
The injuries to Junior and Taylor left the Broncos with some snaps to fill in the secondary. Entering Saturday’s game, Abraham will compete with defensive backs like Jaden Robinson, Joshua Pickett and others for reps if he’s active. Head coach Sean Payton’s plans for playing time could spell good things for the depth of his roster.
Earlier this week, Payton revealed that many of his starters won’t play against Arizona. First-stringers like quarterback Bo Nix and cornerback Patrick Surtain II will watch from the sideline as the rest of the roster battles it out.
“We’re going to feature really two phases.” Payton said. “The twos – and when I say the twos, don’t read into [that label]. Basically. there’s going to be a group in the first half and a group in the second half. But your front line, O-line, D-line, QB, corner, receiver, I’m going to sit those guys, only because of the uniqueness of two of these [joint practices] in a week’s time frame.”
Payton’s crew will look to get and stay healthy as Week 1 approaches. In the meantime, perhaps a newcomer can make an impact.
Broncos Make Timely Signing Before Preseason Game vs. Cardinals