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According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Denver Broncos have claimed rookie offensive tackle Austin Fleer off waivers from the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Broncos have claimed OT Austin Fleer off of waivers from the Bengals, per source. Because they play a game tonight, the claim will be deferred and become official tomorrow.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 11, 2018
Fleer went to school at Colorado Mesa and signed as an undrafted free agent with the Bengals this past offseason. He’s listed at 6’7’, 307 lbs and now will fight for likely a practice squad spot with the Broncos in the remaining days/weeks of Training Camp and the Preseason.
The Broncos were present at the Colorado-Mesa Pro Day earlier this winter and witnessed Fleer’s impressive measurements with the rest of the scouts present. Not only did he come in at 6’7”, 307 lbs, he had a 35” inch arm length and 11” hands. That’s the measurables you look for in an NFL offensive tackle.
A Dolphins scout came up to him and double checked to see if these measurements were accurate.
“He came up to me and was like, ‘Let me see your hand. Is it really 11 inches?’” Fleer said. “I said yes. Then he was like, ‘Holy crap. And he just walked away.’ I think people are seeing how big I am.”
Fleer will now battle with Cyrus Kouandjio, Billy Turner, Elijah Wilkinson, Andreas Knappe, and Leon Johnson for either a roster spot or a spot on the Broncos 10-man Practice Squad.
With Fleer being added this late in the process, the odds of him making the roster are very, very slim. However, he will be battling UDFA rookie Leon Johnson for a spot on the 10-man Practice Squad.
Update:
According to the Broncos, they have officially claimed tackle Austin Fleer and have waived UDFA rookie Leon Johnson to make room for him.
We've claimed OT Austin Fleer off waivers.
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 12, 2018
» https://t.co/L9pTfzJZYj pic.twitter.com/iWpvN1XVdL
Johnson who played his college ball at Temple joined the Broncos after he went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft. He was fighting for a spot on the teams Practice Squad but obviously was not living up to expectations. Now, Fleer will look to claim that spot in the remaining days of camp and final three preseason games.