Broncos Activate S P.J. Locke, Waive DB Essang Bassey
On the eve of the most important game of the season, the Denver Broncos activated safety P.J. Locke off the reserve/COVID list and waived defensive back Essang Bassey. With the Cincinnati Bengals in town, the Broncos are banged up at safety and since Bassey is more of a nickel cornerback, the coaches are prioritizing Locke's skill-set over Bassey's, especially with the expected return of Bryce Callahan to the starting lineup.
Starting safety Kareem Jackson is listed as questionable with a back injury, as is the No. 3 player on the depth chart Caden Sterns, who's nursing a shoulder/neck. There's a good chance Locke will play.
If not, fans could finally get a glimpse of rookie fifth-round safety Jamar Johnson on defense. Drafted in tandem with Sterns in the same round, Johnson had the misfortune of a summer injury that slowed his development as a rookie. Meanwhile, Sterns shined in training camp and preseason action, building up a head of steam whilst his draft-class mate languished licking his wounds.
Letting Bassey hit the waiver wire is an interesting gamble, considering that he's a former starter. But the Broncos are confident he'll pass through waivers unclaimed so that he can be re-signed to the practice squad and kept within the embrace of the organization.
Locke, 5-foot-10 and 202 pounds, was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on December 10. He's appeared in 12 games for the Broncos this season, playing a team-leading 239 special-teams snaps with two special-teams tackles.
Bassey has appeared in one game for the Broncos in 2021 after spending most of the campaign on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. He was activated November 13.
As a college free-agent pickup last year, Bassey started three games as a rookie and has appeared in 13 contests as a Bronco before tearing his ACL late in the season. Vic Fangio loves him so barring a waiver claim, it's safe to assume the Broncos will swoop Bassey back up once he clears the wire.
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