The Denver Broncos on Tuesday signed running back Cory Boyd to their active roster from their practice squad and placed fullback Peyton Hillis on their reserve/injured list, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.
Additionally, the team waived safety Calvin Lowry and signed guard Pat Murray from Seattle's practice squad.
Hillis, a rookie fullback selected by the Broncos in the seventh round (227th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft from the University of Arkansas, suffered a right hamstring injury during the Broncos' 24-17 win against Kansas City on Sunday. He saw time in 12 games (6 starts) for Denver at tailback and fullback, totaling 68 rushes for 343 yards (5.0 avg.) with five touchdowns along with 14 receptions for 179 yards (12.8 avg.) with one touchdown. Hillis had a four-game streak with at least one rushing touchdown and became the first rookie in club history (second player overall) to post both a 100-yard rushing game and a 100-yard receiving game in the same season.
Boyd (6-foot-1, 218 pounds) is a rookie running back who spent the last five weeks on Denver's practice squad after the club signed him on Nov. 4. He entered the NFL with Tampa Bay as a seventh-round (238th overall) pick in the 2008 NFL Draft from the University of South Carolina but was waived by the Buccaneers on July 26. Boyd played 46 games (27 starts) for the Gamecocks and finished his collegiate career with 464 rushes for 2,267 yards (4.9 avg.) with 23 touchdowns along with 117 receptions for 1,303 yards (11.1 avg.) with five scores. He attended Orange High School in Orange, N.J., and was born on Aug. 6, 1985.
Murray (6-foot-3, 310 pounds) is a first-year guard who had been on Seattle's practice squad since Sept. 1. He entered the NFL when Green Bay signed him as a college free agent on May 4, 2007. He was waived by the Packers on Aug. 24, 2007 and spent the remainder of the season out of football. Murray, 24, played in 41 games (32 starts) at Truman State where he earned first-team All-Mid-America honors in 2006. Patrick James Murray, who lettered in football, basketball, track and golf at Pocahontas High School in Pocahontas, Iowa, was born on Oct. 31, 1984, in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
Lowry played in 10 games (3 starts) and totaled 21 tackles (14 solo) and three passes defensed for Denver after joining the team off waivers from Tennessee on Aug. 31.