Broncos' Starting ILB Jonas Griffith Suffers Concerning Injury vs. Cowboys

The Denver Broncos really hoped to avoid injuries in Saturday night's preseason debut vs. the Dallas Cowboys. Alas, the injury bug had different designs.

First-team linebacker Jonas Griffith suffered an apparent elbow injury on Denver's second defensive play of the night. He could be seen squirming in pain, and was soon escorted from the field.

Griffith was shortly thereafter ruled out. After the game, Denver7's Troy Renck had a report straight from the horse's mouth.

#Broncos Jonas Griffith told me he dislocated his elbow. Tough break for great dude. #Denver7
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) August 14, 2022

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A dislocated elbow wouldn't be the worst thing, as the average prognosis is a 4-to-6-week recovery. It probably means the Broncos look off the roster for some immediate depth at linebacker.

Griffith overcame some serious odds to become a starter down the stretch last season, and after a very impressive training camp, he'd all but locked down the starting inside linebacker job next to Josey Jewell.

Only time will tell what the extent of Griffith's injury is. If it ends up being serious and he misses time, the Broncos will likely turn to free-agent acquisition Alex Singleton as Jewell's linebacker partner.

It's either that, or earmark a portion of the $11.5 million salary-cap space the Broncos currently have to sign (or trade for) a veteran linebacker. Don't be surprised if the Broncos call Joe Schobert back, who visited the facility about a week ago and left without a deal.

Griffith arrived in Denver last year via trade from San Francisco. He appeared in 13 games, starting four. In those four starts, he averaged north of 10 tackles per game. He's 25 years old.

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