RELEASE S HERANA-DAZE JONES; SIGN RB STEVE BAYLARK TO PRACTICE SQUAD
The Denver Broncos on Wednesday signed free-agent tight end Jeb Putzier to their active roster and waived safety Herana-Daze Jones (pronounced Hernandez), Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.
The club also on Wednesday signed running back Steve Baylark to its practice squad.
Putzier (6-foot-4, 251 pounds) is a seventh-year player who begins his second stint with the Broncos, having played for the club from 2002-05 after Denver selected him in the sixth round (191st overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft from Boise State University. He saw time in six games (1 start) with Seattle this year before he was waived on Nov. 26 and also spent two years with Houston from 2006-07.
In 67 career games (17 starts), Putzier has totaled 96 receptions for 1,251 yards (13.0 avg.) with three touchdowns. He also has appeared in three career postseason games, posting 10 receptions for 159 yards (15.9 avg.) with one touchdown.
Putzier played in all 16 games for the Broncos during two consecutive seasons from 2004-05. He had a career-high 572 receiving yards (36 rec., 15.9 avg., 2 TDs) for Denver in 2004 and registered a personal-best 37 receptions (481 yds., 13.0 avg.) for the Broncos' 2005 team that won the AFC West title.
An All-Western Athletic Conference selection as a senior at Boise State, Putzier finished his collegiate career with 128 receptions for 2,050 yards (16.0 avg.) with 19 touchdowns. He attended Eagle High School in Eagle, Idaho, and was born on Jan. 20, 1979.
Baylark (6-foot-0, 226 pounds) is a first-year player who most recently competed in training camp with Arizona, which waived him on Aug. 30. Baylark spent his entire rookie season in 2007 on the Cardinals' practice squad after entering the NFL with the club as a college free agent from the University of Massachusetts.
At UMass, Baylark became just the third Division I-AA player to post four 1,000-yard rushing seasons. A second-team All-American as a senior, Baylark finished his collegiate career with 1,080 carries for 5,199 yards (4.8 avg.) with 42 touchdowns.
Baylark, who attended Apopka High School in Apopka, Fla., was born on July 28, 1983.