The Broncos are adding to their pass-rush group.
The club signed , a 26-year-old outside linebacker who has played the past two seasons in the UFL.
Denver released another former UFL star, wide receiver Hakeem Butler, in a corresponding move.
Stone practiced with the Broncos on Tuesday and the timing of his addition lines him up to be a contender for the 53-man roster.
“This kid is smart, he’s tough,” defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said after practice. “(Inside linebackers coach Jeff) Schmedding actually coached him a year in college. So we’re familiar with this kid. He practiced today and make a couple plays. I was surprised, he even peeled (off) on a pressure. So, with a 10-minute meeting before practice.
“He’ll play a bunch on Friday and we’ll see where he’s at.”
Stone, listed at 6-foot-3 and 257 pounds, played his college football at Washington State and then signed as an undrafted free agent with the Las Vegas Raiders after the 2024 NFL Draft. He was waived at the roster cutdowns with an injury designation and didn’t land on a practice squad.
Instead, Stone played the 2025 and 2026 spring seasons in the UFL. Playing for the Michigan Panthers in 2025, Stone had 3.5 sacks and four tackles for loss. Then in 2026 he played for the Columbus Aviators and collected 5.5 sacks and five tackles for loss.
The Broncos have struck gold at outside linebacker from the UFL before. They signed Dondrea Tillman from that league in the spring of 2024. He didn’t play early in the 2024 season but now has appeared in each of Denver’s past 29 regular-season games and racked up nine sacks along with eight tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions.
Stone’s addition to Denver’s outside linebacker room is an interesting one. The Broncos have enviable depth at the position from starters Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper through a reserve trio of Tillman, Jonah Elliss and Que Robinson. They also have 2023 third-round draft pick Drew Sanders, but he has struggled mightily to stay healthy over the past two seasons.
Denver also doesn’t yet know if Cooper will be available to start the season, but a suspension or a placement on the commissioner’s exempt list appears squarely in play as Cooper faces a felony assault charge and other lesser charges stemming from a pair of domestic violence-related arrests in June.
Stone’s signing, if he plays well over the next couple of weeks, could give Denver some roster depth early in the season if the team is without Cooper.
Butler, meanwhile, was an intriguing add at wide receiver this summer after he twice won UFL offensive player of the year. The production just never followed through training camp, however, and he fell behind not only Denver’s deep set of receivers who are likely to make the 53-man roster, but also a group of undrafted rookies like Cameron Ross, Kolbe Katsis and Joseph Manjack IV who have each made more plays and looked more comfortable over the past two weeks.
