Broncos Activate Three Players Off IR Ahead of Week 7 Tilt vs. Chiefs
The Denver Broncos were hit early and hard by the injury bug this season. With the exception of Melvin Gordon, every player on the Broncos' roster who'd been to a Pro Bowl in their career got hurt and missed multiple games.
Stars like rush linebacker Von Miller, wideout Courtland Sutton, and defensive lineman Jurrell Casey were lost for the season within a two-week period as the 2020 campaign began, while running back Phillip Lindsay suffered a turf toe injury in Week 1 that cost him three games.
Even Gordon, who technically hasn't gotten hurt (knock on wood), has missed time, though in his case, it was due to catching strep throat on the heels of getting arrested for DUI. None of this mentions the loss of starting quarterback Drew Lock in Week 2, who just returned last week to upset the heavily-favored New England Patriots, nor the injuries to No. 1 cornerback A.J. Bouye in Week 1 and key defensive line pieces Dre'Mont Jones and DeMarcus Walker.
Bouye, Jones, and Walker landed on injured reserve. The good news is, Lock and Lindsay returned last week and the Broncos announced on Saturday that Bouye, Jones, and Walker have been activated off IR.
The Broncos are now as close to full strength as they could possibly get this year — excepting the likes of Miller, Sutton, and Casey who are done for the year — and it's coming at the most opportune moment. This week, the AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs roll into Empower Field at Mile High.
Starting tight end Noah Fant, who missed last week with an ankle injury, will be back in the lineup in Week 7, as will Gordon, who seems to be recovered from his bout with strep throat.
The Broncos were always going to need as many of their key horses on the field in order to have a plausible shot at snapping their nine-game losing streak to the Chiefs. That was one of the silver linings to the NFL delaying the Broncos' matchup with New England and 'adjusting' their bye week from Week 8 to Week 5 — giving the likes of Lock, Lindsay, Bouye, Jones, Walker, and Fant the time needed to get healthy.
Under the newly-amended CBA, players placed on injured reserve have to spend at least three games on the list before they can be activated. Bouye missed four games, while Jones and Walker missed three — and have received the time needed to recover from their respective injuries.
To make room for this trio of IR players returning, the Broncos released defensive linemen Timmy Jernigan and Sylvester Williams earlier this week, as well as cornerback De'Vante Bausby on Saturday. The Bausby release was a bit of a surprise but based on what we're hearing, the reason the likes of Davontae Harris and rookie Essang Bassey survived over Bausby was due to their special teams impact.
The Broncos clearly trust Bausby more as a corner on defense (just look at the snap count over the last two games) but with Bouye back on the boundary opposite rookie third-rounder Michael Ojemudia, at this point, the team values special teams acumen more than a No. 4 corner.
Will all these personnel reinforcements be enough to finally snap the losing streak to the Chiefs? Only time will tell but having all these guys back definitely gives Denver the best chance to win.
Let's do the math quickly. Fans recognize the threat Patrick Mahomes and that Chiefs' offense poses. Having the top corner back in the lineup, as well as the interior pass-rushing wherewithal of Jones and Walker, checks off several boxes needed for the Broncos to contend vs. Mahomes and company.
It's also worth noting that Walker tends to shine in games vs. the Chiefs. In three matchups vs. the Chiefs since arriving as a second-round draft pick in 2017, Walker has two career sacks on Mahomes.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
