Broncos place veteran center Michael Deiter on injured reserve, add Lecitus Smith to bolster OL depth

The Denver Broncos made a Tuesday-afternoon roster move that highlights how quickly training-camp depth charts can change. According to Pro Football Rumors, the team placed veteran center Michael Deiter on injured reserve after a quad injury suffered during practice earlier this week. The move also means Deiter will not be available for the remainder of the season.

In the same transaction window, Denver added Lecitus Smith to take Deiter’s spot on the active roster. Smith, 28, has worked his way through multiple NFL stops, with the report noting he has appeared in 19 games in league action across stints with the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, and Green Bay Packers. For the Broncos, the immediate value is continuity at the interior line position while camp reps shift and ongoing evaluations determine who can handle first-and-second-team assignments.

Deiter’s path in the league has included starting opportunities, but the context in Denver is that the veteran was described as trending toward a lower tier on the team’s depth chart. With Deiter sidelined, Denver’s internal competition for the center and adjacent interior roles effectively begins again, not with a long runway, but in the middle of roster building.

Beyond the specific players, the broader NFL pattern here is familiar. Injured reserve rules turn what might be a mid-camp setback into a roster-management priority, especially for teams still sorting out backup offensive line roles. Depth at center matters because the position is tied to snap execution, line calls, and protections, and because injuries can force last-minute reshuffling at multiple spots if the backup plan is not ready.

The Broncos’ adjustment also has potential downstream effects for camp. With Deiter out, whatever group Denver has been using behind its primary interior starters will likely receive accelerated attention. That can influence play-calling in practice, how long new combinations stay on the field together, and how quickly the coaching staff can trust a second or third option in live-action situations.

Multiple other “minor transactions” were listed in the same roundup from Pro Football Rumors, including moves involving the Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Rams, plus a signing by the New York Giants. However, the details in the available summary are limited, so this story focuses on the Broncos’ center injury and corresponding addition at offensive line depth where the reported information is specific.

For Broncos fans, the next watch items are straightforward. Denver will need to confirm who becomes the primary backup option at center, and whether Smith’s early work stabilizes the interior line rotation as camp progresses. In parallel, monitoring how the club practices without Deiter will show how quickly it can adapt its line calls and protection packages to fit its new personnel.