Following cutdowns, head coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos added two significant players to their 53-man roster. They signed Kristian Welch, a former Green Bay Packers special teamer, and Donald Parham, an ex-Los Angeles Chargers tight end, in free agency.
Both players are depth possibilities, but the Broncos were so confident in them that Payton and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi recruited them.
The Broncos added Welch to the active roster.
“Sean reached out and we had some good conversations, so I just felt like this was the right place at the right time,” the 26-year-old linebacker Welch told The Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson on September 5.
The Denver Broncos cut undrafted rookie free agent Levelle Bailey to create place for Welch. They reinstated Bailey on the practice squad.
Welch, a former undrafted free agent from Iowa in 2020, has played 54 games in his career.
He broke through with the Baltimore Ravens as a rookie in 2020. Welch spent the first three years of his career there until joining the Packers’ practice squad in 2023. He has spent the majority of his career as a main special teamer, which may provide insight into his role in Denver.
Welch had six tackles and one interception in the Packers’ 27-2 preseason loss to the Broncos and said the performance “certainly didn’t hurt.”
The Broncos now have four off-ball linebackers.
Welch joins starts Alex Singleton and Cody Barton, with Justin Strnad following behind them. The Broncos released Jonas Griffith at the roster deadline. Griffith, another former undrafted free agent, stated on August 30 that he plans to have ACL surgery.
It’s the same ailment that ended Griffith’s 2023 season. It should also solidify Welch’s roster status, barring any awful performance from him.
Broncos OC Joe Lombardi followed Broncos Sean Payton’s lead and recruited former Chargers TE Donald Parham.
Parham stands 6-foot-8. He had career highs with the Chargers in 2023, with 27 receptions for 285 yards and four touchdowns.
Parham stated that he “really likes” Lombardi and is not a fan of the Chargers’ new offence.
“Lombardi reached out to me and made it clear he wanted me here,” Parham added. “[Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh’s] offence is kind of built around run-heavy blocking tight ends, so that just kind of wasn’t my fit.”
He signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and will begin the 2024 season on the Broncos’ practice squad.
Prior to joining the Chargers in 2020, Parham played for the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders. Lombardi coached Parham as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022.
Thomas Yassmin, an undrafted rookie free agent, is also on the practice squad for Parham.
They join Adam Trautman, Greg Dulcich, Lucas Krull, and Nate Adkins, who will also play fullback/H-back, on the Broncos’ 53-man roster.
Greg Dulcich would ‘ideally’ fill the role of Ravens playmaker for Broncos.
“Watching #Ravens Likely tonight is a reminder of how much the #Broncos need a tight end to breakout in the passing game this season,” The Denver Post’s Troy Renck said on X on September 5. “Ideally, it’s Dulcich.”
Likely had 9 receptions for 111 yards and one score in the Ravens’ 27-20 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL regular season opener.
Payton has praised Dulcich’s talent, but the tight end has struggled with injuries.
Dulcich has three receptions for 25 yards in his two games in 2023. He has 36 receptions for 436 yards and two touchdowns in his two-year career. In April, Broncos general manager George Paton told reporters that the team needed more performance from its tight end position in 2024.
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