According to 9NEWS Denver’s Mike Klis, the Denver Broncos are signing tight end Patrick Murtagh to their practice squad as the 17th man under the International Exemption rule.
As Klis notes, Murtagh is a former Australian Footballer and Decathlete who is attempting
to become an NFL tight end. He is a 6’6”, 250-pound tight end who spent last season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and now will spend this season with the Broncos.
The International Player Pathway (IPP) was established in 2017 and aims to provide elite international athletes with the opportunity to compete at the NFL level, improve their skills, and ultimately work to earn a spot on an NFL roster. We have seen the Broncos have multiple IPP players on their roster in recent seasons, including TE Thomas Yassmin last season. Rookie punter Jeremy Crawshaw was eligible for this exemption as well, but it will be used on tight end Patrick Murtagh.
He will join rookie tight Caleb Lohner as another developmental tight end on the practice squad. Like Lohner, Murtagh is another big and athletic player with an athletic background in other sports that is trying to make it in the NFL. While the likelihood of him becoming anything more than a project is slim, it does not hurt to roll the dice on something like this. If it doesn’t work out, it’s not the end of the world, but if it does, it would be a great story.
With Murtagh joining the Broncos’ practice squad, they have officially set their roster and practice squad for the start of the 2025 regular season.
