The Denver Broncos’ roster remains in a state of flux heading into the playoffs, and their bye week during Wild Card week has already seen many changes take place.
Denver will face the lowest seed that advances to the AFC Divisional Round.
They navigated various injuries during the season, but trended in the right direction toward the end of the regular season. That trend continued with an encouraging announcement on Tuesday.
Broncos Announce Roster Move With Former UDFA
GettyDenver Broncos linebacker Karene Reid #47 reacts against the San Francisco 49ers.
The Broncos announced with a post on X on January 6 that they “We’ve activated ILB Karene Reid from IR.”
“The Broncos previously designated Reid for return, and he returned to practice on Dec. 17. Denver activated the rookie linebacker on Tuesday before his 21-day window expired. If Denver had not activated Reid before the window expired, he would have reverted to IR for the remainder of the season,” DenverBroncos.com’s Aric DiLalla wrote in the official release.
“Reid appeared in the Broncos’ first 10 games of the year before suffering his injury against the Raiders in Week 10. The latest undrafted Broncos rookie to make the initial 53-man roster, Reid played 59 percent of Denver’s special teams snaps before suffering the injury.”
The Broncos had an open roster spot and did not have to make a corresponding move.
Reid logged 5 total tackles during the regular season, playing mostly on special teams for the Broncos.
Karene Reid ‘Revved-Up’ & Instinctual
GettyKarene Reid #21 of the Utah Utes reacts against the San Jose State Aztecs.
Despite his draft stock, Reid profiled as a contributor at the NFL level before the 2025 campaign began.
“Undersized linebacker with a revved-up motor and instincts that take him to the action. Reid comes from NFL bloodlines and plays the game with passion. He diagnoses quickly and is focused on getting to where he needs to be,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote about Reid before the 2025 draft.
“His lack of size and length will make it hard to leverage his gap as a pro. He’s below average in coverage but shows some instincts and talent as a blitzer. He saw limited reps on special teams but has the motor and play demeanor for the job.”
Zierlein projected Reid as a seventh-round pick or priority free agent, and he was the latter.
The Broncos held off on activating Reid last week, and he now gets additional time to get himself back into game shape.
Karene Reid Provides Critical Depth
GettyAlex Singleton #49 and Karene Reid #47 of the Denver Broncos tackle Kareem Hunt #29 of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Reid rejoins a Broncos active roster led by Alex Singleton and Dre Greenlaw at the top of the linebacker depth chart. Both players have navigated injuries this season. Justin Strnad is the top backup and healthy, but has also battled injuries.
Like Reid, fellow rookie UDFA LB Jordan Turner has also dealt with injuries.
All of those players are healthy for the Broncos during the Wild Card bye, which is encouraging as the team awaits the results to learn who their opponent in the Divisional Round will be.
Working in Reid and the Broncos’ favor is the fact that they will have home-field advantage all the way to a potential Super Bowl berth. A healthy roster and the opportunity to largely avoid traveling in the postseason are the best news the Broncos can get during their downtime.
Broncos Add ‘Revved-Up’ Playmaker to Roster During Wild Card Break