The acquisition of Dawson -- acquired from the Patriots on Friday -- provides insurance behind the likes of Bryce Callahan (foot) and ensures that Kareem Jackson will be able to stick at safety, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Broncos have rested their starters through almost the entire preseason to get a look at what they had down-roster. It wasn't great and, with Callahan still nursing his foot injury, the notion of giving any of those players regular-season playing time was not something Denver's brass was willing to do. In comes Dawson, who Denver reportedly considered drafting in the early rounds of 2018. Dawson offers yet another chess piece in a secondary full of prototypical nickelbacks. There's a learning curve to Vic Fangio's defense and Dawson was never able to find his place in New England, so expectations should be tempered, but it wouldn't be too surprising to see him play early in order to keep Callahan and others fresh.