Broncos Place OLB Randy Gregory on IR, Promote Two Players to 53

And just like that, Randy Gregory's first season with the Denver Broncos is over. On Saturday, the Broncos announced that Gregory has been placed on injured reserve with just two games left to go.

Gregory spent nine weeks on IR with a knee injury before returning to the lineup in Week 15. All in, the Broncos got six starts and two sacks out of the rush linebacker after signing him to a five-year, $70 million contract this past spring.

Gregory must have experienced a setback this week, or else the Broncos simply opted to bubble-wrap him because on Wednesday, the veteran pass rusher said his plan was to play these last two games.

“The plan is to always play," Gregory said. "The coaches understand that, I understand that and [GM] George [Paton] understands that. There is a fine line between being able to play and playing healthy, being cautious and playing for the future. We’re trying to play it smart.”

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Reading between the lines, it sounds like the Broncos are indeed erring on the side of caution and hedging for the future. Gregory is the team's only proven pass rusher in the wake of the Bradley Chubb trade.

Baron Browning, Nik Bonitto, and Jonathon Cooper have upside, but they're still very much in chyrsalis. The Broncos will need Gregory to lead the way next season, if he can avoid the injury bug.

The Broncos continue to be snake-bitten by injuries, but it doesn't help when the front office invests valuable salary-cap dollars on injury-prone players. Between suspensions and injuries, the closest Gregory's ever gotten to playing a full NFL season was in 2018 when he appeared in 14 games.

With two open spots now glaring on the 53-man roster (counting tight end Greg Dulcich also hitting IR on Friday), the Broncos filled them by promoting cornerback Lamar Jackson and rush linebacker Jonathan Kongbo off the practice squad.

Jackson was signed to the practice squad on November 29. He's a third-year player with six career starts spanning 20 NFL games.

Kongbo is a former CFL star who's spent all year with the Broncos. Spending most of the 2022 campaign on the practice squad, he's appeared in two games this season, registering one tackle on 40 defensive snaps.

Next up, the Broncos take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

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