Broncos’ Courtland Sutton Tears ACL
Courtland Sutton’s season is over. On Monday morning, doctors confirmed that the Broncos’ talented wide receiver has suffered a torn ACL (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).
Sutton, 25 in October, was forced out early from Sunday’s game against the Steelers, but not before he notched three receptions for 66 yards. For the Broncos, it was a tantalizing preview of what could have been another impressive season. Last year, Sutton enjoyed a breakout campaign, finishing out with 72 grabs for 1,112 yards and six touchdowns.
It’s another devastating blow for the Broncos, who have been bit hard by the injury bug recently. Right before the season started, star pass-rusher Von Miller was likely lost for the year with an ankle injury. Then on Sunday, quarterback Drew Lock went down as well, and will miss multiple games with a shoulder injury. Starting cornerback A.J. Bouye and running back Phillip Lindsay are also currently on the shelf.
Sutton missed Week 1 with a shoulder injury, and had just made his return against Pittsburgh. In his absence, rookie first-round pick Jerry Jeudy will take on a more prominent role in the offense. Fellow young pass-catchers like DaeSean Hamilton, K.J. Hamler, and tight end Noah Fant will all be leaned on more as well.
Fortunately, Sutton should be ready in time for the start of the 2021 season. At 0-2 now and with a depleted roster, it’s looking like a potential lost year for the Broncos. Jeff Driskel will start at quarterback for the time being.
Injury Updates: Colts, McCaffrey, Broncos, 49ers
It’s been a tough day for the NFL, with a slew of high profile players going down with serious injuries. We’ve brought you all the season-ending ones already, and now we’ve got some updates on some hopefully less long-term but still significant injuries. Colts receiver Parris Campbell had to be carted off with a knee injury, but fortunately Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that he did not tear his ACL.
Campbell’s 2019 rookie season was plagued by injuries as he dealt with a sports hernia, a broken hand, and a broken foot, so this was especially tough to see. He was supposed to play a big role in this Colts offense, and showed a nice connection with new quarterback Philip Rivers in Week 1. The Ohio State product and former second-round pick will have an MRI on Monday, and it seems like an MCL injury could be likely.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Panthers superstar Christian McCaffrey sprained his ankle and will have an MRI on Monday to determine the severity, Rapoport tweets. Fortunately, Rapsheet reports that the “initial hope” is it’s not too serious. Needless to say, it would be a massive loss for Carolina’s offense if he’s forced to miss any time.
- We heard earlier today that Drew Lock would miss multiple games with an AC joint injury in his throwing shoulder. While he agrees with the prognosis of multiple weeks missed, multiple sources told Mike Klis of Denver 9 News that the injury is not in fact to the AC joint (Twitter link). The bad news is that Klis also reports there is “concern” within the organization about Courtland Sutton‘s knee, but that nothing more will be known until tomorrow morning. The Broncos have been besieged by injuries, and can’t seem to catch a break in that regard.
- The Falcons blew a huge lead late for an absolutely gutting loss to the Cowboys, and the bad news doesn’t end there. The team fears starting right tackle Kaleb McGary has sprained his MCL, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The MRI Monday will confirm how long he’ll be out, but this sounds like a multi-week absence. McGary has started every game since the team drafted him in the first-round last year, and this is the last thing this 0-2 Atlanta team needed.
- Nick Bosa is done for the year with a torn ACL, and two other 49ers players are dealing with knee injuries. Running back Raheem Mostert is believed to have a mild MCL sprain and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas is believed to have a “serious” knee injury, according to tweets from Schefter. It sounds like both are going to miss time, although Mostert’s shouldn’t be too long-term and Schefter notes that Thomas’ didn’t have the initial grim clarity of Bosa’s, which could be a good sign. San Francisco has been another team bit hard by the injury bug.
Broncos QB Drew Lock Out 2-6 Weeks
Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t the only starting quarterback who won’t be out there next week. Broncos passer Drew Lock has a sprained AC joint in his shoulder and is expected to be out 2-6 weeks, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Schefter adds that Lock will have an MRI on Monday to determine more specifics, but it sounds like Denver is going to be without him for at least a couple of games. Jeff Driskel came on in relief, and will now be the starter moving forward. It’s a brutal blow to the Broncos after they’ve suffered two narrow down to the wire losses through the first two weeks.
They’ve had some bad injury luck, with star pass-rusher Von Miller likely to miss the season due to ankle surgery and top receiver Courtland Sutton banged up. It’s also tough for Lock’s development, since the Missouri product only started five games as a rookie and could use all the reps he can get.
There was a lot of optimism internally with this Broncos team entering the year, but that has mostly been dashed now. Driskel performed admirably against the Steelers and nearly led a comeback in the second half, but he’s shown during previous stints with the Bengals and Lions he isn’t going to be an above average starter.
Broncos Eyed Kirksey, Queen This Offseason
- The Broncos have put off major investments at inside linebacker since Brandon Marshall‘s 2016 extension, but Mike Klis of 9News notes the team considered both signing street free agent Christian Kirksey and using its first-round pick on Patrick Queen this year. This is not the first time the Broncos were linked to a first-round likebacker under Vic Fangio. Had they not executed a trade-down for Noah Fant in the 2019 first round, they would have chosen Devin Bush 10th overall. Denver, which cut longtime starter Todd Davis this month, used 2019 breakout player Alexander Johnson and 2018 draftee Josey Jewell as its three-down ‘backers Monday.
- Phillip Lindsay will not be available for the Broncos against the Steelers. The talented running back is battling turf toe, leaving Royce Freeman as Melvin Gordon‘s top Week 2 backup.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/19/20
Here are Saturday’s minor moves. There are many, as teams take advantage of the rule change allowing 55-man rosters ahead of regular-season games. Teams can dress 48 players for games this season, up from 46.
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: TE Jordan Thomas
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted: LB Deon Lacey, LB Andre Smith
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: DT Woodrow Hamilton
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: LB Devante Bond
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted: G Eric Smith
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: RB LeVante Bellamy, LB Derrek Tuszka
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: DT Kevin Strong, DB Dee Virgin
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: TE John Lovett, DL Willington Previlon
- Placed on IR: WR Equanimeous St. Brown
Houston Texans
- Promoted: RB C.J. Prosise
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: TE Farrod Green
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: TE Ben Ellefson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: DT Braxton Hoyett
- Placed on IR: DL Khalen Saunders
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: RB Darius Bradwell
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted: LB Natrez Patrick
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: CB Mark Fields
New England Patriots
- Promoted: DT Nick Thurman
New York Giants
- Promoted: DB Sean Chandler, DB Ryan Lewis
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: CB Trevor Williams
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: OL Hroniss Grasu
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: DT Anthony Rush
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: WR Cyril Grayson, TE Tanner Hudson
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: WR Cameron Batson, RB Jeremy McNichols, CB Mazzi Wilkins
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: LB Jared Norris, WR Cam Sims
Latest On Broncos' WR Injuries
- The Broncos will have their first- and second-round picks together in game action this week, with K.J. Hamler set to join Jerry Jeudy. Vic Fangio said Hamler will play. The second-rounder sustained a hamstring injury during training camp. Denver may have to wait for any Jeudy-Hamler-Courtland Sutton formations, however, with the Broncos’ No. 1 target remaining questionable with a sprained AC joint.
C.J. Anderson Announces Retirement
Veteran running back C.J. Anderson will retire after seven NFL seasons, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Best known for his five-year run with the Broncos, the 29-year-old back played for three other teams — the Rams, Panthers and Lions — and was briefly a Raider. He last worked out for the Seahawks in December.
A former Cal-Berkeley contributor, Anderson did not rush for more than 800 yards in his two seasons at the Pac-12 school. But he fared better as a pro, becoming a key cog with the Broncos after catching on as a 2013 UDFA. Anderson operated as Denver’s starter for the better part of four seasons and rushed for 3,051 yards — ninth in Broncos history — and 24 touchdowns during his time with the team.
The Broncos initially turned to Anderson as a starter late in the 2014 season, after injuries to Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball, and the 5-foot-8 back ended that campaign as a Pro Bowler. A year later, his walk-off overtime run against the Patriots ended up securing the Broncos home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs. Anderson shined that postseason, rushing for 234 yards and two TDs in three playoff games to help the Broncos to their third championship.
Former Broncos OC Adam Gase attempted to bring Anderson to the Dolphins in 2016, but the Broncos matched a four-year, $18MM offer sheet. Anderson finished the 2017 season with his only 1,000-yard showing, but Denver cut him in 2018. This move, however, preceded Anderson helping the Rams to Super Bowl LIII. Playing at a slightly heavier weight, Anderson filled in for an injured Todd Gurley before working in tandem with the All-Pro back in the playoffs. The former cleared 100 yards three times in five games with Los Angeles, doing so despite being cut by the Panthers and Raiders that year.
Anderson plans to move into the coaching ranks, with an eye on one day being a head coach, and is eyeing a potential gig at a Power 5 conference, via Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter links).
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/17/20
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on IR: S Jalen Thompson
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted: CB Cam Lewis
Denver Broncos
- Signed: LB Anthony Chickillo
2020 NFL Cap Space, By Team
Cap management has been extra complicated in the NFL this year. After ~70 NFL players opted out of the 2020 season, teams were left with holes and plenty of available dollars to fill the gaps. At first, the ongoing uncertainty over next year’s salary cap had teams nervous about large-scale commitments. Now, it seems like we’re getting back to business as usual.
Recent deals for Saints star Alvin Kamara, Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and others demonstrate the league’s long-term confidence. In turn, we’ve seen cap figures change dramatically in September.
Here’s the rundown of each team’s estimated cap space for the 2020 season, via Over The Cap:
- Cleveland Browns – $33.4MM
- New York Jets – $28.6MM
- Dallas Cowboys — $27.5MM
- New England Patriots – $26.3MM
- Washington Football Team – $25.8MM
- Denver Broncos – $25.7MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars – $25.2MM
- Philadelphia Eagles – $20MM
- Detroit Lions – $18MM
- Miami Dolphins – $16.7MM
- Baltimore Ravens – $14.2MM
- Los Angeles Chargers – $11.8MM
- Cincinnati Bengals – $11.6MM
- Arizona Cardinals – $11.4MM
- Indianapolis Colts – $11.3MM
- San Francisco 49ers – $11.2MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $10.9MM
- Chicago Bears – $9.9MM
- New York Giants – $9.6MM
- Houston Texans – $9.6MM
- Tennessee Titans – $9.4MM
- New Orleans Saints – $8.8MM
- Green Bay Packers – $8.7MM
- Los Angeles Rams – $7.7MM
- Las Vegas Raiders – $7.4MM
- Carolina Panthers – $6.9MM
- Kansas City Chiefs – $6.6MM
- Buffalo Bills – $6.5MM
- Seattle Seahawks – $6.2MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $3.7MM
- Atlanta Falcons – $3.3MM
- Minnesota Vikings – $2MM
Broncos Place CB A.J. Bouye On IR
The Broncos have placed starting CB A.J. Bouye on injured reserve, per the league’s transaction wire. As such, he will miss at least the next three weeks of action.
Bouye suffered a dislocated shoulder during Monday night’s loss to the Titans. As Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network tweeted yesterday, the team was hopeful that the one-time Pro Bowler would not miss much time, but the damage was too extensive to avoid a trip to IR. Luckily, under the modified rules for 2020, he will be eligible to return much sooner than he would have been in any other year.
Denver acquired Bouye via trade with the Jaguars in March, sending a 2020 fourth-round selection to Jacksonville in exchange. He ended up playing in just 28 snaps in his Broncos debut, but he made the most of that limited action, recording a pass defensed and generally looking like the player the team hoped it was getting.
In Bouye’s absence, third-round rookie Michael Ojemudia stepped up and performed well. And the Broncos also got a full game out of Bryce Callahan, who missed all of last season — his first in Denver — with a broken foot. Ojemudia and Callahan will continue to man the outside cornerback spots while Bouye is on the sidelines, as head coach Vic Fangio told the team’s official website.
The Broncos take on two potentially potent aerial attacks in their next two games against the Steelers and Buccaneers, though they will get something of a reprieve against the Jets in Week 4.