Pardon Brandon Johnson if he had a starstruck moment Thursday morning at practice.
This wasn't a Peyton Manning or Ciara appearance. Nor was it a reaction to the news Tuesday that he'd made the 53-man roster.
Instead, Johnson was excited about Denver's newest practice squad wide receiver.
Not a misprint.
In today's NFL, 16-man practice squads can have vested veterans and the Broncos on Thursday welcomed in several, including wide receiver Phillip Dorsett.
The 2015 first-round pick grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., like Johnson did. Six years older than Johnson, Dorsett starred at St. Thomas Aquinas High, then the University of Miami, then was picked No. 29 overall by Indianapolis in 2015.
"Oh man, yeah, I spent a lot of time watching Phillip Dorsett," Johnson told reporters Thursday. "Especially when he was at Miami and I'm from down in South Florida. I remember him high school, college and the pros.
"So it's kind of surreal to see him here, pick his brain, ask him what he knows and make that connection."
Johnson, 24, went undrafted out of Central Florida but is in line to start for the Broncos alongside Courtland Sutton and — depending on Jerry Jeudy's hamstring injury — rookie Marvin Mims Jr. Dorsett can be elevated three times from the practice squad and would be a natural candidate early in the season if Jeudy misses games.
Interestingly, though, all four of Denver's practice squad receivers — Dorsett (92), Lil'Jordan Humphrey (24), David Sills (13) and Michael Bandy (12) — have more NFL appearances logged than Johnson (seven).
"It's cool to have the vets here," Johnson said. "They're veterans. I can pick their brains about anything and they've played in way more games than I have."
Roster movement. Denver made a trio of expected roster moves official Thursday, moving nickel K'Waun Williams (ankle), safety P.J. Locke (foot/ankle) and offensive lineman Alex Palczewski (hand) to injured reserve.
To fill their spots, they brought back cornerback Fabian Moreau, defensive tackle Mike Purcell and offensive lineman Quinn Bailey.
In order for a player on injured reserve to be eligible to return during the season, he must be on the 53-man roster for at least one day. So Moreau, Purcell and Bailey were released Tuesday knowing they'd be back later in the week once the trio of injured players were placed on IR.
Locke, Palczewski and Williams must miss at least the first four games of the year, though the first two are likely to be ready at the end of that window. Williams had ankle surgery Monday that comes with a typical rehabilitation timeline of 6-8 weeks. Sources told The Post the hope is he's back at some point in the first half of the season.
Teams can designate up to eight players on injured reserve to return to play over the course of the season.
From the infirmary. Jeudy on Thursday did jogging and conditioning work with Broncos vice president of player health and performance Beau Lowery on the side field.
Others who are not on injured reserve or PUP but were limited to side-field conditioning work: Rookie cornerback Riley Moss and tight end Chris Manhertz.
Moss hasn't practiced since having core muscle surgery at the beginning of camp, but he's ramped up his running in recent days.
Safety Justin Simmons and cornerback Damarri Mathis each got some practice work in, but did not have heavy work days.
The Broncos' first injury report of the season will come Wednesday afternoon.
Forbes list. It's been a busy first year in charge for the Walton-Penner Family Ownership. According to Forbes, it's been a profitable one, too. The magazine's average annual estimations of franchise value pegged the Broncos at $5.1 billion. The new owners finalized the purchase for $4.65 billion in August 2022, meaning Forbes estimates a 10% increase in value.
Forbes also put the average value at $5.1 billion among NFL franchises and ranked Denver No. 13. Dallas led the list at a $9 billion valuation.
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