Sean Payton 'Feels Bad For' Michael Deiter After Major Injury

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton announced backup center Michael Deiter, who was carted off the practice field on Tuesday, suffered a quad injury that will end his 2026 season before it even began.

Deiter will undergo corrective surgery and likely head to the injured reserve list.

"Feel bad for him," Payton told reporters following Wednesday's practice.

A former Dolphins third-round pick, Deiter is in his second season with the Broncos after joining the club's practice squad in January and subsequently landing a futures deal. The soon-to-be 30-year-old found his way to the Mile High City following stops in Miami, Houston, and Washington.

Deiter had been temporarily handling first-string center responsibilities with starter Luke Wattenberg and direct backup Alex Forsyth both battling injuries. Neither Wattenberg nor Forsyth participated in drills on Wednesday.

Veteran guard-by-trade Calvin Throckmorton was forced into the pivot with the aforementioned sidelined. It's possible, if not probable, that Throckmorton remains there for Friday's preseason opener at Atlanta before giving way to undrafted rookie C Gavin Ortega.

“We’ll work through it. We have guys that are flexible. We’ll be fine," Payton said Tuesday.

Sep 29, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Washington Commanders guard Michael Deiter (60) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Meinerz To The Rescue?

With Denver's starters set to play only 15 snaps against the Falcons, it's unlikely that All-Pro right guard Quinn Meinerz will be asked to man the center position in what's ultimately a meaningless game.

However, should this issue linger into the regular season, Meinerz acknowledged he's willing to pinch-hit if needed. Moreover, he stressed the importance of the starting front five (read: Wattenberg) getting back on the field together as soon as possible to form necessary chemistry — especially when the proverbial bullets start flying for real.

“We’re able to get into the level 400 of our offense a lot quicker because we already have a base foundation and fundamentals of how we want to do things," Meinerz told reporters Tuesday. "Now we’re looking at efficiencies, now we’re looking at not only winning the block, but being dominant with that block and understanding that there’s an emphasis in the rushing game this year for us. So just constantly grinding in our individual period to make sure that those reps are feeling good, ‘Hey, are my hands good here? Hey, was my hat... Did I give you enough help here?’ There’s always constant little feedback here, and I think what’s most fun is how much smaller the communication’s going to get on the line of scrimmage because when an offensive line’s able to communicate so little, there’s a lot less tells for the defense to be able to pick up on.”

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