The Broncos made two roster moves Tuesday as they close in on Friday’s preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings, signing outside linebacker Ron Stone Jr. and waiving wide receiver Hakeem Butler, 9NEWS’ Mike Klis confirmed.
Stone gives Denver another look at the edge after the team added veteran safety Taylor Rapp to its 90-man offseason roster last week. The outside linebacker arrives with some NFL pedigree in the family, and a résumé built mostly outside the league so far. He went undrafted out of Washington State in 2023, spent a brief stretch with the Las Vegas Raiders the next year, then moved to the United Football League, where he piled up 34 solo tackles and nine sacks in 17 games with the Michigan Panthers and Columbus Aviators from 2025-26.
At 6-foot-3 and 257 pounds, Stone has yet to play in an NFL game. NFL Media’s scouting profile described him this way: "Stand-up rush linebacker prospect and team captain who comes from NFL bloodline," reads his NFL Media scouting profile.
"Stone ran decently and displayed good-lower body explosion at his pro day, but on tape, his movement can be too gradual and not sudden enough. He plays hard and gives good effort against much bigger blockers, but he is overwhelmed by size and brute force as a run defender.
Stone lacks burst and bend to threaten at the top of the rush and doesn’t have enough go-to moves and counters to beat NFL tackles."
There’s a chance he could get onto the field in the exhibition finale before Denver cuts down to its final 53-man roster.
The move at outside linebacker is a little unexpected on paper, since the Broncos already have Jonah Elliss, Que Robinson and Dondrea Tillman behind starters Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper. It’s possible the team wants more from the preseason tape of Johnny Walker Jr., or that Stone is being considered as a practice squad option in place of Drew Sanders, who is still out.
Butler’s exit felt closer to inevitable after he dropped multiple chances in preseason games against the Falcons and Packers. He had been one of the camp’s early buzz names, but he never moved past Lil’Jordan Humphrey in the wide receiver pecking order.
Denver is projected to keep five or six receivers, with Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle, Pat Bryant and Marvin Mims appearing to be locked into the final group.
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