One day after purging more than two dozen players, the Denver Broncos brought back a pair of vested veterans.
The Broncos re-signed offensive tackle Cameron Fleming and defensive lineman Shamar Stephen, the team announced. Both were released on Tuesday as part of Denver's 53-man roster cutdown.
Fleming, 29, joined the club in May, inking a one-year, $3.67 free-agent contract that included $1 million guaranteed. The eighth-year former Giant was immediately thrust into competition for the right tackle job, which he lost to Bobby Massie.
A career 42-game starter with stops in New England, Dallas, and New York, Fleming will assume a top reserve role along the Broncos' offensive line, likely settling in behind Massie while Calvin Anderson backs up left tackle Garett Bolles.
"I like our depth there," general manager George Paton said Aug. 12. "I think we have four good tackles that can compete.”
Stephen, 30, reunited with rookie Broncos general manager George Paton following their time in Minnesota. He landed a one-year, $2 million deal in April — a depth-related addition to Bill Kollar's unit, buoyed by no-doubt starters Shelby Harris, Mike Purcell, and Dre'Mont Jones.
The 6-foot-5, 310-pound Stephen made two preseason appearances last month, notching one tackle and a pass deflection. He'll factor into a defensive tackle rotation that includes Purcell, DeShawn Williams, and McTelvin Agim.
"Shamar played really [well] the other night—he’s been playing [well] the entire camp," head coach Vic Fangio said Aug. 17. "DeShawn, same thing. ‘Sosa’ (Agim) [has] been out a while [but] when he was in there, he was doing good. A lot of those guys are doing a good job and we’ll have difficult decisions to make.”
In addition to these signings, the Broncos on Wednesday also claimed running back Nate McCrary and defensive back Mike Ford off waivers, waived RB Royce Freeman and DL Jonathan Williams, and placed RB Mike Boone and cornerback Michael Ojemudia on short-term injured reserve.
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