During their victory over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, the Denver Broncos saw two of their young wide receivers leave the game due to injury. Pat Bryant (concussion) and Troy Franklin (hamstring) left the field and never returned.
For a team inserting its backup quarterback into the starting lineup for the AFC Championship Game, that's a concern.
It remains unclear as to whether Bryant or Franklin will be available this Sunday against the New England Patriots, but the team is taking measures to be able to replace them if not. On Tuesday, the team signed veteran Brandon Johnson to its practice squad.
This is a good move for this stage in the season. If Johnson's name sounds familiar, it should.
Broncos reunite with wide receiver Brandon Johnson
Brandon Johnson signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2022. After a college career that included time at Tennessee and Central Florida, Johnson was a fringe player to make the roster that summer, but until an ankle injury during that preseason, he was likely going to make the 53-man roster.
The Broncos waived him with an injury settlement but brought him back to the practice squad later that season. He ended up playing in seven games, catching six passes for 42 yards with a touchdown.
He played for the Broncos in 2023 as well, but was waived ahead of the 2024 season. He has spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers but returns to the Broncos with a chance to play in the AFC Championship Game.
Though Johnson has played in Sean Payton's system, it's a long shot that he would be able to re-familiarize himself with things and get the playbook down in time for this game. The practice squad already includes Michael Bandy, Elijah Moore, A.T. Perry and Kyrese Rowan, so Johnson becomes the fifth wide receiver on the practice squad alone.
To make room for him, the Broncos released center Michael Deiter from the practice squad.
READ: Broncos heading toward having to overcome NFL history to reach Super Bowl LX
For his career, Johnson has caught 26 passes for 335 yards with five touchdowns.
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