The Denver Broncos announced a pair of roster transactions on Saturday morning, with defensive tackle Forrest Merrill being signed and offensive guard Yasir Durant being waived/injured.
Merrill is a 6-foot, 326-pound defensive lineman out of Arkansas State. He went undrafted in 2021 before signing with the Los Angeles Chargers as a college free agent. He made the initial 53-man roster but then found himself waived. He re-signed to L.A.'s practice squad.
The Chargers promoted Merrill to the 53-man roster in early October before waiving him at month's end. He was re-signed to the practice squad.
The next August, Merrill was waived/injured, and he spent 2022 season out of football. But the Seattle Seahawks gave him a shot this past May. He didn't last a full month.
In his three collegiate seasons at Arkansas State, Merrill clocked 30 games, recording 121 tackles (51 solo), 10 sacks, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
As a pro, Merrill has appeared in four NFL games with four tackles (two solo). We'll see how much he can impact the Broncos' D-line competition.
But in the wake of Eyioma Uwazurike's indefinite suspension, the Broncos could use some help. Throw in Mike Purcell being on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list, and Merrill's arrival makes even more sense.
Durant was signed only five days prior. It's unclear what injury befell him.
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