Fangio Updates Injury Status on Multiple Key Broncos
The Denver Broncos went into Gillette Stadium and beat the New England Patriots 18-12 without the benefit of many of their best players. Long is the list of injured Broncos' Pro Bowlers but the players who were close but couldn't go in Week 6 included the likes of No. 1 cornerback A.J. Bouye, as well as No. 1 tight end Noah Fant, and rookie second-round wideout KJ Hamler.
On Monday, following the long flight home from Boston, head coach Vic Fangio provided an update on these injured Broncos, instilling some hope for their availability for Week 7's home tilt vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.
“This week there will be a chance for Fant, there will be a chance for Hamler, there will be a chance for Bouye—I think those are the main ones from last week that didn’t partake," Fangio said on Monday from Broncos' HQ.
The Broncos also sustained a couple new injuries vs. the Patriots; namely, starting left guard Dalton Risner and No. 1 returner Diontae Spencer. Fangio doesn't quite yet know the extent of their injuries, nor their prognosis or timetable.
"Yesterday’s injuries, they’re still doing the work on Dalton and Spencer," Fangio said. "We hope to have more of a confirmation later today on both of them. Both of them may or may not miss right now, but we really have inconclusive information at this point.”
In some additional good news, two players are now eligible to come off the injured reserve list this week, if indeed they can get some practice time in and prove to be fully recovered from their injuries. Defensive linemen Dre'Mont Jones and DeMarcus Walker could return as soon as this week.
Fangio confirmed that both young defensive linemen will at least return to practice this week, which will be a positive harbinger for returning to the active roster. With regard to starting rush linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu, who has missed the last two games with a nagging quad injury, his prospects, according to Fangio, remain murky.
“He’s still doubtful for this week," Fangio said of Attaochu.
The Broncos are inching back to as close to full health as this team can get with the likes of stars such as Von Miller, Courtland Sutton, and Jurrell Casey on season-ending IR. Fans got to see what this team looks like when it has as many of its key players as is possible.
Drew Lock returned to the lineup after exiting with a shoulder injury in Week 2 and provided the Broncos with the confidence boost and savvy QB play that it desperately needed, as well as emotional firebrand and back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher Phillip Lindsay, who promptly went from a three-and-a-half-week stint on the training table to eclipsing 100 yards on the ground in Week 6's win over the Patriots.
Time heals all wounds. And more time on task for this young team, spent together on the practice field and the battlefield, should only result in more positive developments for the 2-3 Broncos.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
