Broncos tap practice-squad veteran for receiver depth against Packers

The Broncos will call upon Michael Bandy once again.

With Pat Bryant sidelined, the team will elevate the practice-squad wide receiver for the third time this season, calling on the four-year veteran to provide rotational depth against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Bandy played seven offensive snaps in games against the Houston Texans and Las Vegas Raiders in early November while Marvin Mims Jr. sat out due to a concussion suffered in the fourth quarter of the Broncos’ Week 8 win over Dallas, catching one pass for 16 yards.

The University of San Diego product also filled in on punt returns in those games, averaging 5.8 yards per runback with one muffed punt.

Denver opted for Bandy instead of the recently-signed Elijah Moore or veteran A.T. Perry. Moore has starting experience; Perry is a closer size-and-skill replication of Bryant.

With this elevation, the Broncos will hit their regular-season maximum of three game-day elevations for Bandy.

Bryant is second on the team in receiving yardage since the start of November, but will sit out Sunday’s game after missing the last three days of practice following a “hard-to-describe” injury that limited him in practice a week earlier.

“It’s attached to the hamstring,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said Friday. “If this was a playoff game … he’d be able to go, and yet in order to get him back to full strength, we feel like we’ve done the right thing this week.”

BRONCOS PROMOTE ROOKIE LINEBACKER

Having reached that threshold with rookie inside linebacker Jordan Turner, the Broncos chose to promote him from the practice squad to the 53-player roster on Saturday.

Turner has played 49 snaps this season, with 46 of those coming on special teams, including 11 in last Sunday’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Broncos had an open spot on the roster after waiving tight end Marcedes Lewis on Thursday. Lewis cleared waivers and returned to the Broncos’ practice squad Saturday, filling the spot vacated by Turner.

Meanwhile, the Packers elevated running back Pierre Strong from their practice squad as they added Emanuel Wilson to their injury report due to an illness. Wilson and No. 1 runner Josh Jacobs are both listed as questionable for Sunday’s game; Jacobs has dealt with a knee injury in recent weeks and missed two practices this week.

BRONCOS PRACTICE-SQUAD ELEVATIONS:

2025:

• Week 1: LB Levelle Bailey, FB Adam Prentice
• Week 2: FB Adam Prentice (2), LB Garret Wallow
• Week 3: FB Adam Prentice (3), LB Garret Wallow (2)
• Week 4: LB Garret Wallow (3)
• Week 5: None
• Week 6: OL Calvin Throckmorton
• Week 7: None
• Week 8: LB Jordan Turner
• Week 9: WR Michael Bandy, TE Marcedes Lewis
• Week 10: TE Marcedes Lewis (2), CB Reese Taylor
• Week 11: TE Marcedes Lewis (3), LB Jordan Turner (2)
• Week 13: None
• Week 14: LB Jordan Turner (3)
• Week 15: WR Michael Bandy (2), QB Sam Ehlinger

2024:

• Week 1: FB Michael Burton, WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
• Week 2: RB Tyler Badie, WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey (2)
• Week 3: RB Tyler Badie (2), DB Tanner McCalister
• Week 4: LB Levelle Bailey, DB Tanner McCalister (2)
• Week 5: LB Levelle Bailey (2)
• Week 6: OT Cam Fleming, IOL Calvin Throckmorton
• Week 7: ILB Kwon Alexander, IOL Calvin Throckmorton (2)
• Week 8: ILB Kwon Alexander (2), IOL Calvin Throckmorton (3)
• Week 9: ILB Kwon Alexander (3), FB Michael Burton (2)
• Week 10: FB Michael Burton (3), ILB Zach Cunningham (1)
• Week 11: ILB Zach Cunningham (2), S Keidron Smith (1)
• Week 12: ILB Zach Cunningham (3), OL Nick Gargiulo (1)
• Week 13: OL Nick Gargiulo (2)
• Week 15: OL Nick Gargiulo (3), CB Reese Taylor (1)
• Week 16: DL Matt Henningsen (1), RB Blake Watson (1)
• Week 17: DL Matt Henningsen (2), WR David Sills  (1)
• Week 18: DL Matt Henningsen (3)

Related

The Broncos’ preseason loss to the Packers was the wake-up call they neededBroncos’ addition of veteran safety Rapp wasn’t necessarily about necessity, Payton saysBo Nix looked good to Sean Payton in his first appearance back on the fieldSean Payton provides encouraging update on Riley Moss and his rib injuryBroncos star CB Pat Surtain II again voted a top-10 player in the NFLIn Broncos loss, they got a win in something specific that truly mattered