Report: Broncos DL Jones, Purcell Recovering from 'Minor Surgeries'
Denver Broncos defensive linemen D.J. Jones and Mike Purcell were sidelined during the start of Organized Team Activities after undergoing "minor offseason surgeries," 9NEWS' Mike Klis reported.
The exact nature of the procedures remains unclear, and head coach Sean Payton was predictably cagey in regard to their absence from the voluntary practices. But it doesn't sound like a cause for concern.
“Everyone that's not here today, I've communicated with. We’ll just leave it at that," Payton said last Thursday.
Signed to a three-year, $30 million contract, Jones started 15 games for Denver in 2022 despite battling ankle, shoulder, and knee ailments — the latter keeping him out of the season finale. He finished with 22 solo tackles, six pass breakups, four quarterback hits, and two sacks across 560 defensive snaps.
Purcell, returning for his fifth Broncos campaign, appeared in all 17 games but did sustain an early-year elbow injury that could have caused him to go under the knife. The veteran nose tackle managed 45 combined tackles (21 solo), four QB hits, and 1.5 sacks, ranking as Pro Football Focus' No. 42 interior defender among 127 qualifiers.
Both Jones and Purcell are slated to see heavy playing time under new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, on a line that now features big-ticket free-agent addition Zach Allen.
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