New Broncos TE Marcedes Lewis is from same NFL Draft class as Texans' head coach DeMeco Ryans

The Denver Broncos, with an injury to tight end Nate Adkins, needed to add another tight end for their Week 9 matchup against the Houston Texans. After missing out on two waiver claims, Denver turned to a veteran free agent.

Marcedes Lewis, a 41-year-old tight end who has played in the NFL for 19 seasons, was signed by the Broncos to the practice squad, and as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports, he's getting elevated to the game day roster.

This election will help the Broncos' tight end depth, but it also makes for a very interesting matchup. Lewis faces a Texans team coached by DeMeco Ryans, who just so happened to be selected in the 2006 NFL Draft, the same class as Lewis.

Marcedes Lewis, elevated to the Broncos roster, will face DeMeco Ryans and the Texans in a matchup of the 2006 NFL draft class

Lewis was selected in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft, at 28th overall, by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Just five picks later, in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft, Ryans was selected by the Texans at 33rd overall.

Sources: The #Broncos plan to elevate veteran TE Marcedes Lewis, who they signed earlier this week to their practice squad. At 41-years-young, Lewis will be on the field Sunday. pic.twitter.com/UDDBG9ZEtK

Selected just five picks apart, Ryans and Lewis both went on to have good NFL careers. Ryans retired after the 2015 season with the Philadelphia Eagles after making two Pro Bowls and winning the 2006 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.

Lewis, meanwhile, is still playing in the NFL 20 years later and has spent the better part of 19 seasons with the Jaguars. He eventually left to join the Green Bay Packers before joining the Chicago Bears in 2023 and 2024.

Now, he's signed with the Broncos and will face Ryans and the Texans in an incredible matchup between two members of the same draft class, except one is a coach while the other is a player.

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Ryans retired in 2015, and ten years later, Lewis is still playing in the NFL. While his role isn't as large as it once was, the fact that he's still playing at 41 years old is incredible.

Lewis will make Broncos history as the oldest player to suit up in franchise history, and with a catch, he'd join Tom Brady and Jerry Rice as the only players with a reception after turning 41 years old.

On top of this incredible coincidence with Ryans, Lewis is going to make one piece of history while having a chance at another history-making feat.

Marcedes Lewis has been in the NFL for so long that a player selected five picks after him in the 2006 NFL draft is now a head coach of the team he's facing.

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