Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak announced the signing of free-agent safety Shiloh Keo early Wednesday morning.
Keo, a former standout at the University of Idaho, signed with the Broncos after being waived by the Cincinnati Bengals at the end of the preseason.
Keo spent four years with the Vandals from 2006-2010, immediately making an impact under former head coach Dennis Erickson by earning an honorable mention on the Sporting News all-freshman team.
The Everett native eventually received MVP honors from Idaho in 2007 under first-year head coach Robb Akey, after Keo set single-season program records with 317 punt return yards and a 16.8 punt return average.
Keo additionally earned first team all-WAC conference honors as a junior in 2009, and led the Vandals to a 43-42 Humanitarian Bowl victory over Bowling Green, as well the team’s first winning season since 1999.
As a senior for the Vandals, Keo again earned MVP honors and received second team all-WAC conference recognition.
The Houston Texans selected Keo in the 5th round of the 2011 NFL Draft with the 144th overall pick. The Texans eventually named him a team captain alongside NFL standout J.J. Watt during the 2012 season.
Keo recorded 52 tackles for the Texans in 2013, and notched an interception against Pro-Bowl quarterback Alex Smith in a 17-16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
After battling through injuries to his Achilles tendon and hamstring, a calf injury eventually reduced Keo’s role with the Texans secondary in 2014. The safety then signed a contract with Cincinnati in the offseason, but was eventually waived by the Bengals following the conclusion of the preseason.
The recent signing of Keo by Denver was due in part to a social media lobbying campaign by the former Vandal.
After the Broncos announced the signing of free safety Josh Bush on Dec. 1, Keo took to Twitter to let defensive coordinator Wade Phillips know that he was still available to sign if any spots on the roster were to open up. Keo had played under Phillips during his time as the defensive coordinator of the Texans.
A roster spot became free Wednesday morning when the team chose to waive Christian Ponder, the Broncos fourth-string quarterback.
As a result of injuries to the Broncos secondary, the team was left with just two healthy safeties in Sunday’s matchup at San Diego. Denver officially announced the signing of Keo on Wednesday in order to provide the Broncos with additional depth at the safety position, as well as fill the available roster spot.