Broncos Granted Roster Exception for International TE

The Denver Broncos were again awarded a roster exception for Australian-born tight end Thomas Yassmin, the team's delegate in the NFL International Player Pathway Program since 2024.

The move was reported Monday via the league's transaction wire.

A native of Sydney, Yassmin opted to pursue American football following a decorated rugby career at Scots College. The 6-foot-5, 251-pound athlete committed to Utah and made 22 receptions for 396 yards and seven touchdowns for the Utes across 47 games from 2019-2023. He went undrafted last April before being assigned to Denver.

Yassmin spent the 2024 campaign on the Broncos' practice squad, failing to appear in a regular-season game. But amid a steep acclimation process, he drew the eyeballs of his new coaching staff.

"Not bad. I have to get used to the Aussie accent. You are expecting a punter or kicker, and he’s a tight end," head coach Sean Payton told reporters last June. "I think he did a pretty good job. He belongs.”

“Good," echoed offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. "These international players come to you in different ways. Some guys were rugby players, some guys just have traits. He has big-time college experience, so he’s a little further along maybe than your average international player. He fits right in.”

After inking a reserve/future contract in January, Yassmin will return to compete in a Broncos TE room that includes Evan Engram, Adam Trautman, Lucas Krull, and Nate Adkins — a room that could be further tweaked during this week's NFL Draft with the club deadset on aiding quarterback Bo Nix.

“We’ve talked about it for two years now, the interior triangle of your passing game [is] the tight end, the running back and the third receiver," Payton explained at the annual NFL meeting in March. "When you’re seeing a lot of these coverage shell looks, those positions have to thrive. The very logistical answer to your question is Engram is closer to Bo than the receivers sometimes. The matchups inside—it’s hard to play that position if you’re not able to attack the interior triangle of some of the looks we’re getting defensively. This helps Bo.”

More likely, given Engram's entrenchment atop the depth chart, Yassmin will battle for a spot on Denver's practice squad as he's exempt from counting against the allotted 16-man limit.