Broncos place two players on injured reserve

The Broncos moved a couple of injured players to IR on Wednesday.

When it rains, it pours. 

The Denver Broncos have been bitten by the injury bug quite severely this summer. Part of the reason, ostensibly, for the flood of injuries is the fact that the Broncos have been practicing for a week longer than all the other NFL teams. 

By summer's end, the Broncos will have played a whopping five preseason games, while 30 of the other 31 teams will only have four. Only the Broncos' opponent in the Hall of Fame Game, the Atlanta Falcons, will also play five preseason games.

The additional action takes it's toll. That was evident in the Broncos' 25-14 preseason loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night and the team is still feeling the sting of the injury bug. 

On Wednesday, the Broncos announced that cornerback Horace Richardson (back) and tight end Bug Howard (hand) have been placed on injured reserve. 

Howard suffered a lower leg injury early in camp but worked his way back into action. He debuted on Monday night vs. the Niners and promptly got reinjured. 

Richardson did not play on Monday night and has been battling a back injury. It's too bad for both players, but especially Richardson, as he had put together a strong camp and preseason performance and was likely headed for the practice squad at least. 

The Broncos are working out former Ball State cornerback Josh Miller but the team has no shortage of talent or help at the position. Tight end, on the other hand, is a different matter entirely. 

The Broncos' TE corps has been the epitome of the walking wounded all summer, with all but Moral Stephens missing at least one practice due to injury. Jeff Heuerman, Jake Butt, Troy Fumagalli and now Noah Fant have all been banged up.

With Howard headed to IR, Butt still working back into full participation, and Fant dealing with a sprained ankle, it's going to be tricky for the Broncos from a numbers perspective to close out the preseason. Opening week vs. the Oakland Raiders can't get here fast enough.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.