As soon as the Philadelphia Eagles waived safety Will Parks on Tuesday, the rumblings of the Broncos bringing the Philadelphia native back to the team that drafted him began. And it took just one day before he was claimed Wednesday.
Parks, 26, was selected by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 2016 draft. After spending his first four seasons in Denver, Parks, a free agent, signed with his hometown Eagles for just $1.6 million — turning down more money elsewhere to return home. But the experiment lasted just six games. And now Parks will return to his second home, a place where he grew to be a fan favorite during his first tenure.
“It’s going to be fun to see him in the locker room again,” outside linebacker Bradley Chubb said. “To see him on the field again and doing what he does best, which is causing havoc, hitting folks, and bringing the noise.”
Parks was a well-liked teammate all-around during his first stint with the Broncos. The familiarity he has with the Broncos game will only help him slot into the lineup at a time where Denver needs him most. Denver’s cornerback Bryce Callahan was injured against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday and is expected to miss time. Parks, who is credited by Broncos coach Vic Fangio as being “versatile,” played cornerback for Denver last season at times. It was a coincidence that he became available when Callahan was injured, but the addition is also welcomed by Fangio.
“We like him as a player and as a person,” Fangio said. “I think he’s excited to come back here and we’ll see exactly how he fits in. Will played the nickel position for us last year. One thing with losing Bryce, we’ve lost some versatility in our secondary because although Bryce had been playing corner the last few weeks exclusively, he can also play nickel, obviously. So, our nickel depth has gone down some, so we needed some versatility to bring back to replace Bryce. Coincidentally, Will got cut and he’s a guy we like.”
Parks logged 15 starts in 62 games in his first tenure with the Broncos. Seven of those starts came in 2019. In 62 games, Parks recorded 149 total tackles, 13 passes defended, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and one sack.
“I’m really happy he’s back here and having the opportunity to close out the season with us,” Denver’s Justin Simmons said. “He’s a great player, and more importantly and selfishly for me, he’s an even better friend. Having him around the past four years has been awesome. I’m excited for him to be back.”
