Alright, so I finally caved and used the word Shanaplan. But with the unveiling of an extremely youthful 53-man roster on Saturday, we all knew the practice squad would allow Mike Shanahan to justify being so thin at certain positions. One thing we have learned is that Mike Shanahan really thinks of his team as being 61 deep.
Last night, we were left to consider the ramifications of having only one backup interior offensive lineman (Eric Cook), and only three reserve defensive linemen (Chris Neild, Darrion Scott and Kedric Golston.) While I believe that the team is trying to trade at least one of its EIGHT wide receivers for depth at one of these spots, I also think the practice squad is a place where Shanahan will try and put a player or two who can be relied on to play soon.
It looks like guard Maurice Hurt, the seventh-round pick out of Florida could be one of those guys, as he was signed by the team to the practice squad today. Penn State rookie Evan Royster, who impressed coaches on the field this summer was also added today. Doug Worthington, the defensive lineman who failed to make the cut yesterday, was added to the practice squad as well and could likely be promoted at some point during the year.
Cornerback Reggie Jones and wide receiver Aldrick Robinson have also been brought into the fold. When we have an update on more additions, we will make sure to pass that along.