The Broncos signed 14 players to their practice squad Wednesday, after setting their initial 53-man roster Tuesday.

Most notably, the Broncos kept quarterback Brett Rypien who served as the team’s backup last season. They also brought back two of their draft picks, wide receiver Seth Williams and defensive end Marquiss Spencer, who both failed to make the initial roster. GM George Paton also kept his word by signing three more wide receivers after only keeping five on the 53, bringing back Williams, Kendall Hinton and Tyrie Cleveland.

The Broncos can have up to 16 players on the practice squad, meaning they have room for two more guys, if or when they want to add more. Here are the 14 players who were signed to the practice squad Tuesday: C/G Austin Schlottmann, QB Brett Rypien, WR Seth Williams, WR Kendall Hinton, OT Drew Himmelman, TE Shaun Beyer, WR Tyrie Cleveland, LB Barrington Wade, LB Curtis Robinson, CB Nate Hairston, DE Marquiss Spencer, CB Mac McCain III, OT Quinn Bailey and RB Damarea Crockett.

Broncos claim McCrary, Ford; release Freeman, Harris

On top of finishing their practice squad roster, the Broncos also made several changes to their 53-man roster. First, they claimed running back Nate McCrary from the Ravens and defensive back Mike Ford from the Lions.

Fangio said of McCrary: “He’s a guy who showed good running ability in the preseason and our scouts have been following him and felt it was worth a chance to take him.”

Fangio said of Ford: “Ford is a good special teams player. We’ll bring him in here and see if we get him rolling quick enough.”

To make room for both, the Broncos released running back Royce Freeman and defensive lineman Jonathan Harris. Freeman was a surprising move as he had solidified himself as the third running back when Mike Boone was injured.

“He’s a guy we like and he was always dependable and I’m sure he’ll be claimed in the next 24 hours,” Fangio said. “It was a tough decision.”

The Broncos also officially placed Boone and cornerback Michael Ojemudia on the injured reserve, allowing them to sign tackle Cam Fleming and defensive lineman Shamar Stephen to the 53-man roster.

‘We suck in September’

If the Broncos want to return to the playoffs for the first time in five years, it’s going to start in September. With winnable games against the Giants, Jaguars and Jets to start the year, the Broncos have a great opportunity to start the season 2-1 or 3-0. They’ve gone 0-7 the last two seasons in September.

But this year, they’re hoping to change that.

“It’s not a secret,” defensive lineman Shelby Harris said. “We suck in September. We’ve got to be better.”

Williams next Kamara?

Rookie running back Javonte Williams has been impressive this preseason, looking like the Broncos’ future starting running back. But just how good can he be?

Well, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater compared him to one of his former teammates in New Orleans and one of the best running backs in the NFL, Alvin Kamara.

“I don’t want to make it seem like I’m reaching or anything, but he possesses some of the qualities you see in Alvin Kamara,” Bridgewater said. “(He’s) extremely smart, he catches the ball well out of the backfield, he runs good routes, he has a low center of gravity, he’s strong, he knows how to set up blocks, you see that and the guy is only a rookie, his ceiling is so high.”