Broncos Sign S Herana-Daze Jones; Place DT Josh Shaw on IR

After suffering an elbow injury in Week 13 against the New York Jets, defensive tackle Josh Shaw was formally placed on Injured Reserve, ending his season. Shaw, who joined the Denver Broncos in early September, played in five games and finished with three tackles (two solo).

Shaw is the 13th player the Broncos have placed on Injured Reserve this season.

Replacing Shaw on the roster is safety Herana-Daze Jones (pronounced Hernandez), a fourth year player formerly with the Cincinnati Bengals. Jones is a special teams BEAST who’s posted a whopping 37 tackles on special teams from 2006-2007. He was released from the Bengals (and Injured Reserve) after reaching an injury settlement with the club on November 4, 2008.

Shanny says he’s looking for someone to step up at the safety position — how long is it until Jones is starting opposite Marquand Manuel? Meanwhile, Marlon McCree is still missing practice with his ankle injury. Full press release after the jump.

BRONCOS SIGN S HERANA-DAZE JONES;

PLACE DT JOSH SHAW ON INJURED RESERVE

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos on Wednesday signed free-agent safety Herana-Daze Jones (pronounced Hernandez) and placed defensive tackle Josh Shaw on their reserve/injured list, Head Coach Mike Shanahan announced.

Shaw, a sixth-year player, suffered a left elbow injury during the Broncos’ 34-17 win at the New York Jets on Sunday. He saw time in five games for the Broncos this year and posted three tackles (2 solo).

Jones (5-foot-11, 205 pounds) is a fourth-year safety who joins the Broncos after seeing time in three games this season with Cincinnati, which waived him on Nov. 4. He spent his first three professional seasons with the Bengals after they signed him as a college free agent in 2005 from the University of Indiana.

In 28 career games, Jones has registered 41 special-teams tackles along with seven defensive stops. He led Cincinnati in special-teams tackles during each of the last two seasons, posting 18 in 2007 and a 19 in 2006, and had four tackles on coverage units in his three games with the club this year.

During four seasons at Indiana, Jones recorded the fourth-most tackles (342) in school history. He was a second-team All-Big Ten Conference selection as a senior after placing third in the conference with a team-high 110 tackles.

Jones, who set a Kentucky state record as a senior at Iroquois High School (Louisville, Ky.) by averaging 220 rushing yards per game, was born on April 15, 1982.