ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos on Tuesday made several roster transactions, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.
The club signed free-agent punter Paul Ernster and added safety Roderick Rogers to its active roster from its practice squad. Denver also waived punter Todd Sauerbrun and safety Marviel Underwood while placing safety Nick Ferguson on its reserve/injured list with a right knee injury.
Ernster (6-foot-0, 217 pounds) is a third-year punter who joins the Broncos for his second stint with the club after he was waived by Denver on Aug. 28. He signed with Cleveland on Sept. 8 and punted in the Browns’ season opener against Pittsburgh a day later before they waived him on Sept. 18.
Selected by Denver in the seventh round (239th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft from Northern Arizona University, Ernster has punted 87 times for 3,594 yards (41.3 gross avg. / 36.5 net avg.) in 18 career games. He has placed 25 punts inside the 20-yard line and has kicked off 78 times for 5,253 yards (67.3 avg.) with 19 touchbacks (24.4%) during his career.
In 2006 with the Broncos, Ernster punted 80 times for 3,338 yards (41.7 gross avg. / 36.6 net avg.) with 23 punts placed inside the 20-yard line. His 19 touchbacks on kickoffs ranked third in the NFL.
Ernster was born Jan. 26, 1982, and attended Ironwood High School in Glendale, Ariz.
Rogers (6-foot-2, 187 pounds) is a rookie safety who spent the first 15 weeks of this season on Denver’s practice squad after entering the league with the Broncos as a college free agent on May 2. He earned second-team All-Big Ten Conference accolades in each of his final two seasons at the University of Wisconsin and totaled 99 tackles (66 solo) along with five interceptions (138 yds.) for his collegiate career.
Rogers was born Sept. 7, 1984, and attended Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Ga.
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