Broncos' Final Week 5 Injury Report: Defense Finally Gets Reinforcements

What does Denver's final injury report for Week 5 reveal? Help is on the way for the Broncos' defense.

The Denver Broncos have taken some unfortunate hits from the injury bug. Chalk it up to having to start training camp on July 18, attribute it to the Broncos' five-game preseason schedule — this team has struggled to stay healthy in the first quarter of the season. 

Heading into Week 5, the Broncos will travel to take on the Los Angeles Chargers. If Denver is going to have a chance at repeating last year's upset victory over L.A. in their own house, the Broncos will need as many hands on deck as possible. 

One player — Bryce Callahan — has been ruled out, but we knew he wouldn't be available this week and probably won't be until November at the soonest. However, there is a chance that prized right tackle Ja'Wuan James could return to the starting lineup this week, as he's officially listed as questionable. 

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Two defensive starters — LB Josey Jewell and DB Kareem Jackson — are also listed as questionable, though head coach Vic Fangio intimated that the latter is expected to go on Sunday. 

The prospect of getting James back, after playing the better part of five games without him, is exciting, but after relinquishing 269 yards on the ground last week to Jacksonville, missing Jewell at inside linebacker might really sting. 

Fortunately, the Broncos have taken the training wheels off of Joe Jones, and while we can't say for certain whether the team will have him on a snap count, he represents a significant upgrade over Corey Nelson and rookie Justin Hollins. 

In the video above, I break down the Broncos' entire injury report and what it means for Week 5, as well as the key players listed on the Chargers' injury report, too. Both teams are banged up but don't expect that to preclude this AFC West rivalry to be hard-fought. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.