'It's a Possibility' Shelby Harris Will Return for Week 12 per Vic Fangio

The Denver Broncos have now gone three straight games without a single day-one starter on the defensive line. When the Broncos opened up against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1, the D-line starters were Jurrell Casey (injured reserve), Mike Purcell (IR), and Shelby Harris (Reserve/COVID-19).

Casey hasn't played since Week 2 and Purcell has now missed more games than he appeared in this season. Meanwhile, Harris has stayed healthy, relative to football injuries, but he came down with COVID-19 a few weeks back and has now missed three games as a result. None of this mentions rush linebacker Von Miller, who was placed on IR before the regular-season opener.

Will Harris return for the Broncos' Week 12 home bout with the New Orleans Saints?

“There’s a possibility, but not guaranteed," head coach Vic Fangio said on Monday.

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Harris actually entered the NFL's COVID-19 protocol almost a week before he tested positive himself after he notified the Broncos that he'd been exposed to someone infected with the virus outside of team headquarters. Thinking of his team first, Harris made the unselfish decision to warn the team and it turned out to be the right one as he eventually tested positive after being in self-isolation for nearly a week.

Had he not come clean, the Broncos would have been at risk for an outbreak. Considering also that Harris is in a contract year and has a vested interest in playing in as many games as possible and his selflessness is only magnified.

Meanwhile, the Broncos have struggled to get by without him. While Fangio manufactured a solid front-seven performance in Atlanta, the Broncos' dam burst the following week in Vegas with the Raiders eclipsing 200 yards rushing. Derek Carr was not sacked.

However, the Broncos' D-line bounced back with gusto in Week 11, limiting the Miami Dolphins to just 56 rushing yards and sacking Tua Tagovailoa a whopping six times.

Dre'Mont Jones, DeMarcus Walker, and DeShawn Williams — the 'Big Ds' —have stepped up but there's no question the Broncos could use Harris back in the lineup as soon as possible.

“For us to get six sacks and for our starting defensive linemen to have been out for a good bit of time—Casey has been out, I believe, since the second game, Mike [Purcell] has been out since game four or five, and Shelby has been out," Fangio said. "When you’re entire starting defensive line is out—obviously Von has been out—for us to come up with six sacks with all the guys that are in there and rotating in there, it speaks volumes to those guys and the fight they have and the determination and the good coverage on the back end.”

Hopefully, Fangio will know more with regard to Harris' prospects of emerging from the NFL's intensive COVID-19 protocol by Wednesday.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.

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