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Denver Broncos News & Rumors

Broncos’ Jerry Jeudy To Return In Week 8

October 23rd, 2021 at 3:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

A reeling Broncos team will have some much-needed receiver help in Week 8. Vic Fangio said Jerry Jeudy will be activated ahead of Denver’s game against Washington.

The Broncos medically cleared Jeudy ahead of their Thursday road trip trip but held him out of their 17-14 loss against the Browns, giving the second-year wide receiver another 10 days to finalize his recovery from a high ankle sprain. Jeudy went down in Week 1 but was on his way to a 100-yard day in the Broncos’ win over the Giants. The Broncos designated the Alabama product to return from IR last weekend.

Losers of four straight, the Broncos have been without Jeudy and fellow slot weapon K.J. Hamler since Week 3. The team has struggled offensively without its young receivers, averaging just 16 points per game during its four-game losing streak. Hamler is out for the season after tearing an ACL.

Denver chose Jeudy 15th overall last year but has yet to see he and Courtland Sutton complete a game together. Sutton did not play in Week 1 of last season and went down for the year in Week 2. The fourth-year boundary weapon returned to start this season, but the Broncos lost Jeudy during that game. Jeudy led the Broncos in receiving last season, totaling 856 yards as a rookie.

Broncos To Acquire Stephen Weatherly From Vikings

October 23rd, 2021 at 2:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos and Vikings agreed on a trade Saturday, one that will send Stephen Weatherly to Denver. The Vikings are trading the veteran edge defender to the Broncos in a deal that will see the teams swap seventh-round picks, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Weatherly and a 2023 seventh-rounder will go to Denver, which is sending a 2022 seventh to Minnesota. This will reunite Weatherly with new Broncos GM George Paton, who was with the Vikings when they drafted the sixth-year vet back in 2016. Weatherly sought a trade, according to Pelissero (on Twitter), and the Vikings obliged for low-level compensation.

This move will give the Broncos some much-needed depth. Denver finished its Thursday game without all four of its starting linebackers. Von Miller avoided serious injury, but the team is still without Bradley Chubb for an extended stretch. Malik Reed and seventh-round rookie Jonathon Cooper served as the Broncos’ primary edge rushers in Thursday’s 17-14 loss to the Browns.

Weatherly, 27, has played less than 20% of the Vikings’ defensive snaps in each of their past four games. He has served as a key special-teamer for the Vikings and started nine games for the Panthers in 2020. The Broncos are decimated at linebacker, having lost both starters and special-teamers, so Weatherly will likely be plugged in on special teams soon with his new squad.

The Panthers signed Weatherly to a two-year, $12.5MM deal in March 2020 but cut bait after one season. The Vikings brought him back this year. Less than $1MM remains on Weatherly’s contract, which runs through season’s end. The Broncos are not exactly up against the cap, however, holding more than $15MM in space.

To clear a roster spot, the Broncos moved linebacker Micah Kiser to IR. The former Rams ILB starter suffered a groin injury during the Broncos’ Thursday tilt. Vic Fangio said the Broncos are looking for help at this position as well.

Latest On Broncos HC Vic Fangio

October 23rd, 2021 at 11:00am CST by Ben Levine

Vic Fangio has been on the hot seat since the offseason, and his seat has gotten a bit warmer during an active four-game losing streak. While the Broncos head coach has certainly lost the trust of the fans, it sounds like he’s also losing his locker room. According to Adam H. Beasley of ProFootballNetwork.com, “Fangio’s message is growing stale” and the HC is quickly losing a “segment” of his squad.

The latest hit was when the Broncos let the Browns’ backups beat them on Thursday Night Football. As Beasley writes, Fangio’s refusal to pull play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur is one topic of contention. Denver has only scored 64 points over the past four games.

“We have to rally,” Fangio said (via Beasley). “We have to overcome our injuries. They can’t use them as excuses. We have to get back to playing better football as a team. Make more first downs, which will lead to touchdowns on offense. Play the run better on defense so that you do not get so many third-and-ones and third-and-twos.

“We just have to play better, and we have to coach better. I do not want to be remiss in saying that. We have to coach better, and we have got to adjust to what we have right now.”

Fangio went 12-20 through his first two seasons as head coach, including a disappointing 5-11 record in 2020. While the coach seemed to acknowledge that he’d on the hot seat, he also said his only focus is ending Denver’s losing streak.

“I’m not worried about my coaching status,” Fangio said (via Arnie Stapleton of the Associated Press). “What I’m worried about is this team and doing anything and everything we can to get our guys coached up to play better. And that’s my only focus.”

Broncos NT Mike Purcell To Miss Time?

October 22nd, 2021 at 2:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos appear to have dodged a rare injury bullet, with Von Miller suffering a sprained ankle that may not force him to miss any additional time. But their defense did take another hit Thursday night.

Mike Purcell suffered a “significant” finger injury, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. The third-year Denver nose tackle is going through an MRI that will determine whether surgery will be necessary, but it sounds like the interior defensive lineman is set to miss some time. Purcell will join a host of Broncos defenders in doing so.

Injuries have gutted the Broncos’ front seven, which was without linebackers Bradley Chubb, Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell against the Browns. Miller did not play in the second half. Cleveland’s third-string running back, Alliance of American Football alum D’Ernest Johnson, gashed Denver’s depleted unit for 146 rushing yards.

A fellow AAF contributor, Purcell caught on with the Broncos in 2019. He moved into the team’s starting lineup midway through that season and provided a boost against the run. The Broncos rewarded Purcell with a three-year, $11.5MM deal early in the 2020 campaign. Purcell and D-lineman Shelby Harris are signed long-term. Purcell’s extension runs through the 2023 season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/19/21

October 19th, 2021 at 12:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Broncos LB Alexander Johnson Done For Year

October 18th, 2021 at 3:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Broncos linebacker Alexander Johnson will miss the rest of the year with a torn pectoral muscle, per a club announcement. He’ll be placed on injured reserve today, opening up a spot on the 53-man roster.

The Broncos are already without fellow starting ‘backer Josey Jewell, who also suffered a torn pec. It’s a bad blow to Vic Fangio‘s front seven and especially poor timing for Johnson. The middle linebacker is scheduled for unrestricted free agency in the spring, after he wraps his one-year, $3.384MM tender.

Johnson, 30 in December, joined the Broncos in 2018 and found his way to the starting lineup in October of 2019. He immediately improved the team’s run defense and kept his first-string gig throughout 2020. Johnson made 124 tackles and forced two fumbles last season while Pro Football Focus rated the 255-pound defender as a top-25 off-ball linebacker. In his six games this year, Johnson recorded 32 stops, two sacks, and three passes defensed.

Meanwhile, the Broncos also say that wide receiver Jerry Jeudy is unlikely to play on Thursday night when they face the Browns.

Broncos Designate Jerry Jeudy To Return From IR, Promote John Brown

October 16th, 2021 at 7:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jerry Jeudy‘s return from a high ankle sprain will not happen in Week 6, but the second-year wide receiver is on the verge of coming back. The Broncos are designating him for return from IR, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. The team now has 21 days to activate Jeudy.

While Jeudy’s recovery process will now involve practice work, the Broncos plan to promote recently signed wide receiver John Brown to their active roster, Klis adds (on Twitter). A free agent since requesting his release from the Raiders in late August, Brown caught on with Denver’s practice squad earlier this week.

Brown would be in line to begin his Broncos career against the Raiders, though Klis adds it is not a certainty the Broncos dress the veteran Sunday. With the eighth-year veteran being called up from the taxi squad, Denver will have that option. The Broncos are also elevating wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland from their P-squad.

Down since his Week 1 injury, Jeudy has a chance to return Thursday against the Browns but would have a better chance of being activated ahead of Denver’s Week 8 game against Washington. The Broncos have been down Jeudy and 2020 second-round pick K.J. Hamler since Week 3, when Hamler suffered a season-ending ACL tear. They have lost each of their games without both of them in the lineup, though Denver did win in Week 2 and Week 3 — over the Jaguars and Jets — when Jeudy sat and Hamler played.

The Broncos’ offense has struggled for much of the past two games, and while Jeudy would represent a likely boost, Brown will step in for the time being. A two-time 1,000-yard receiver, Brown aided Josh Allen‘s development by serving as Buffalo’s No. 1 wideout in 2019. After a productive ’19 season, however, Brown battled injuries in 2020. The Bills released Brown this offseason, signing ex-Bronco Emmanuel Sanders to replace him. Brown, 31, did not make a great impression as a Raider and was cut after the preseason. The speed merchant will have a chance to reignite his career soon.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/16/21

October 16th, 2021 at 4:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Week 6 Saturday minor move blitz:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

Broncos To Activate RB Mike Boone From IR

October 16th, 2021 at 2:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mike Boone is on track to make his Broncos debut Sunday. Sidelined since training camp due to a quad injury, the veteran running back will be activated off IR ahead of Denver’s Week 6 game, 9News’ Mike Klis tweets.

After the Vikings non-tendered Boone as a restricted free agent, ex-Minnesota assistant GM George Paton brought him to Denver, where he is now GM. Boone signed a two-year deal worth $2.6MM, giving the Broncos a backup back at a modest price. Boone should be expected to contribute on special teams and potentially mix in as a role player on offense.

Denver reshaped its backfield this offseason, cutting Phillip Lindsay in March and waiving Royce Freeman just before the season. Boone is set to join Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams in Denver’s backfield. Boone’s return to health stands to aid a Broncos team that is without pass catchers Jerry Jeudy, K.J. Hamler and Albert Okwuegbunam going into a key matchup against the Raiders.

Boone’s most notable work sample came in 2019, when injuries to Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison brought him to the forefront in Minnesota. The former UDFA averaged 5.6 yards per carry (273 total) on 49 totes that year, helping the Vikings to the playoffs.

Broncos Sought Round 3 Pick In CB Talks

October 13th, 2021 at 5:47pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • Staying on the trade front, the Broncos received inquiries on their two contract-year corners — Kyle Fuller and Bryce Callahan — along with Ronald Darby. The veteran defenders came up in talks leading up to the season, but new Denver GM George Paton set a fairly high asking price. The Broncos sought a third- or fourth-round pick in a deal for one of their vets, Fowler adds, scuttling talks. The Saints made a strong push for Fuller, which came months after New Orleans’ aggressive pursuit of Denver’s No. 9 overall pick — which was used to take Patrick Surtain II. While Denver has made multiple deadline deals in recent years, involving receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, it would likely take a tumble out of contention for the team to deal from its corner surplus.
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