Drew Lock To Return To Broncos Practice
Despite Joe Flacco enduring a rough Thursday night against the Chiefs, the Broncos as of now do not have a viable alternative at quarterback. Their depth chart, however, could return to full strength soon.
Drew Lock will practice next week, Vic Fangio said (via The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala, on Twitter). The second-round rookie has been out since midway through Denver’s preseason slate with a sprained right thumb. He can come off IR in Week 9.
Interestingly, two other players on the Broncos’ IR list — Theo Riddick and wideout Tim Patrick — will join Lock in returning to practice. IR rules stipulate the Broncos can only activate one of them, so either Riddick or Patrick will end up on season-ending IR soon.
Flacco lost his Ravens job to a rookie last season, with Lamar Jackson usurping him while the longtime Baltimore starter was out with injury. Flacco fared poorly in the Broncos’ latest nationally televised spot, pointing to another benching at some point in this season’s second half.
It would stand to reason the 2-5 Broncos will want to give Lock time down the stretch. While the University of Missouri product did not have a strong preseason, the Broncos’ worst start in two decades points them toward evaluation mode. Determining if Lock is a realistic future starter will be key for a team that could still consider taking another quarterback in the 2020 draft.
Since Patrick landed on IR after the Broncos’ Week 1 game, he cannot return to action until Week 9. Patrick showed some promise as a rookie, catching 23 passes for 315 yards and a touchdown. This season’s Broncos offense has not featured much in the passing game beyond Courtland Sutton and Emmanuel Sanders, with DaeSean Hamilton playing a more limited role.
Riddick chose the Broncos over interest from the Saints and other teams but went down during Denver’s preseason slate. A shoulder fracture shelved Riddick, but the longtime Lions passing-down back will have a chance to begin his age-28 season soon.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/16/19
Today’s NFL workout updates, all courtesy of Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle:
Baltimore Ravens
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
- OTs Ulrick John, Brian Mihalik, Austin Pasztor; DT Justin Ellis
Jacksonville Jaguars
- CB Arrion Springs; P Shane Smith
Miami Dolphins
- CBs Adonis Alexander, Andre Chachere, Picasso Nelson
New England Patriots
- FBs George Aston, Orson Charles, Ricky Ortiz.
New Orleans Saints
- RBs Travaris Cadet, Benny Cunningham, Marcus Murphy; TEs A.J. Derby, Cole Wick
San Francisco 49ers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- RB Marcus Murphy; WRs T.J. Jones, Tommylee Lewis, Eli Rogers; P Trevor Daniel
Washington Redskins
Former Broncos, Texans QB Brock Osweiler Retires
That’s a wrap for Brock Osweiler. On Wednesday, Osweiler retired as an NFL player, as Mike Klis of 9News writes. 
“I’m extremely grateful for the time I did receive playing in the National Football League,’’ Osweiler said. “The experiences I did have, people I did meet, relationships I did make — I’m not going to dwell on the things that didn’t happen in my career. Being a kid from Kalispell, Montana, playing for the Denver Broncos, winning a Super Bowl, having the opportunity to sign a second contract – when you look back on it, I couldn’t be more appreciative. It was great.”
Osweiler will be best remembered for his work in the latter half of the 2015 season as a fill-in for Peyton Manning. Thanks to his 5-2 record, the Broncos were able to finish out as divisional champs and eventually go on to win Super Bowl 50.
“Brock was a great teammate,’’ Chris Harris Jr. said to Klis. “He was so huge for us in our Super Bowl run with how well he played when Peyton was injured. There is no way we get to that Super Bowl without Brock.’’
Manning eventually took the job back and Osweiler moved on to the Texans, who gave him a four-year, $72MM deal. Things didn’t go Osweiler’s way in Houston, or in his brief stint with Browns, or in his second Broncos run. Still, he walks away from the game with a Super Bowl ring, lots of money, and enough stories to last ten lifetimes.
“There were so many learning moments throughout that year,’’ he said of the Super Bowl season. “Don’t get me wrong, there were hard, trying moments. But the lessons I learned coming out of the season is something I wouldn’t trade for anything. I’ve always been a glass half-full guy. The things I will take from that season is I made relationships that will last the rest of my life. I had tremendous teammates. We won a division championship and we won a playoff game.’’
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/15/19
A look at the latest NFL practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: TE Carson Meier
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Denzel Rice
- Released: S A.J. Howard
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Jordan Veasy
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DL Fadol Brown
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Gehrig Dieter
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Stephen Anderson, C Cole Toner
- Placed on practice squad IR: RB Detrez Newsome
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR Nsimba Webster
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: WR Davion Davis
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Tyler Gauthier, WR Devin Ross
- Released: K Younghoe Koo, TE Jason Vander Laan
New York Giants
- Signed: RB Jon Hilliman
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: RB James Butler, WR Anthony Ratliff-Williams
- Released: RB Damarea Crockett, DE Quinton Bell
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: RB De’Angelo Henderson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Tony Brooks-James, T Christian DiLauro
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Deontay Burnett
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Brian Allen, S Adrian Colbert, TE Tyrone Swoopes, T Chad Wheeler
- Released: LB Malik Carney, CB Parry Nickerson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released: LB Demone Harris, RB Darius Jackson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Nigel Harris
- Released: LB Ukeme Eligwe
Washington Redskins
- Signed: TE Wes Saxton, DB Maurice Smith
- Released: TE Drew Belcher, T Victor Salako
Injury Updates: Sanders, Cooper, Roby, Howard
The latest injury updates on key players around the league:
- Emmanuel Sanders left the Broncos’ win over the Titans with a knee injury and was ruled out, but fortunately it isn’t anything longterm. The injury isn’t “at all serious,” James Palmer of NFL Network was told (Twitter link). In a follow-up tweet, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that there’s optimism Sanders will play in just a few days on Thursday Night Football against the Chiefs. Sanders is in the midst of his comeback season from a torn Achilles, so it’s great news that he isn’t seriously hurt.
- The Cowboys have lost three straight games, including an embarrassing one to the Jets on Sunday, and the news could get even worse soon. Star receiver Amari Cooper left the game and was soon ruled out with a quad injury. Cooper was in “pretty significant pain” after the game, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (Twitter link). Obviously that’s not an official diagnosis, but it does sound like Cooper could miss some time. That’s the last thing this suddenly struggling Cowboys team needs.
- The Texans picked up a big win over the Chiefs Sunday, but they couldn’t escape Kansas City unscathed. Starting cornerback Bradley Roby was knocked out of the game with a hamstring injury and will have an MRI tomorrow, according to Palmer (on Twitter). As Palmer points out fellow Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph is already sidelined with a hamstring issue, so this would be a huge blow to their secondary. Roby has been a bright spot on Houston’s defense this year, so this will definitely be one to monitor.
- Roby wasn’t the only key member of the Texans to get hurt. Rookie first-round pick Tytus Howard had to be carted off with a knee injury, but fortunately it seems like he may have dodged a bullet. It didn’t look good for Houston’s starting right tackle, but Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets the initial diagnosis is that Howard did not tear his ACL. In a separate tweet, Wilson writes that head coach Bill O’Brien said that Howard’s injury “may have looked worse than it really was.” However, O’Brien did add “hopefully we can get him back at some point,” so it sounds like he’s going to miss some significant time. That’s a big blow to Deshaun Watson‘s protection, which has been surprisingly competent this season.
Broncos GM: No One On Trade Block
According to multiple reports, the Broncos are ready to deal before the trade deadline. According to GM John Elway, there are no players being shopped. 
“You guys bring all those names up. I have not brought any names up. We’re trying to win football games over here. So, no one from our side is in the trading block. ” Elway said (Twitter link via Troy Renck of Denver 7). “We’re going to try to win football games.”
Among the names brought up in recent days: star linebacker Von Miller, cornerback Chris Harris, defensive tackle Derek Wolfe, and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. With less than three weeks to go before the deadline, and a 1-4 record, Elway’s denial might not too much to stop the speculation.
Miller is reportedly open to a change of scenery and all of his major bonuses and guarantees have already been paid, so he would be a logical trade chip. Still, last we heard, the Broncos are not interested in parting ways with him, and Elway says the same.
The Broncos will face the Titans, Chiefs, and Colts before the trade deadline on Tuesday, October 29. If Elway is to be believed, the roster will be largely the same heading into the following game against the Browns.
Steelers Promote QB Paxton Lynch
For the first time since the Broncos’ 2017 finale, Paxton Lynch will return to an active roster. The Steelers promoted him in advance of their Week 6 game in Los Angeles.
With Mason Rudolph ruled out, the former first-round pick will serve as Devlin Hodges‘ backup. Lynch caught on with the Steelers’ practice squad earlier this season. Pittsburgh has lost both Rudolph and Ben Roethlisberger to injury in five games. Both Hodges and Lynch were in-season roster additions.
One of the bigger first-round miscalculations in modern NFL history, Lynch spent 2018 out of football after the Broncos waived him in September 2018. He caught on with the Seahawks via reserve/futures contract but did not beat out Geno Smith for their backup job. The Steelers added the former No. 26 overall pick as an in-case-of-emergency option, but Earl Thomas‘ hit on Rudolph made Pittsburgh exercise its emergency scenario.
The Steelers also promoted running back Trey Edmunds and waived outside linebacker Jayrone Elliott and guard Fred Johnson. Edmunds is the brother of Steelers safety starter Terrell Edmunds.
Broncos Give Andy Janovich Three-Year Extension
Broncos fullback Andy Janovich missed the first few games of the season, but that didn’t stop him from getting paid. Denver is giving Janovich a three-year extension, a source told Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link).
The deal will be worth $5.7MM tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, who notes it’ll pay him a signing bonus of $1.35MM with $3.22MM fully guaranteed. Janovich is now the league’s third-highest paid fullback, and his deal runs through 2022 now. He had previously been scheduled to be a free agent after this season as he’s currently playing out the final year of his rookie deal. The Broncos originally drafted Janovich in the sixth-round back in 2016.
A Nebraska product, Janovich has become something of a fan favorite in Denver. He suffered a pec injury during training camp that knocked him out for the first few weeks of the season, but he returned a couple of games ago. Last season Janovich carried the ball only twice for five yards, while reeling in eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown.
Last year he played about 22 percent of the offensive snaps, and is a key member of some of their special teams units. Broncos GM John Elway issued a statement on the extension, which you can read courtesy of this tweet from Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, calling Janovich “exactly what you look for in a fullback,” and saying it’s “nice to see how Andy’s hard work has paid off.”
NFL Workout Notes: 10/8/19
Here are today’s workout updates. There are a number of notable names on this list, so pay attention!
Arizona Cardinals
- LB Shane Ray
Baltimore Ravens
- DE Fadol Brown, S Demetrious Cox, DE Dewayne Hendrix, S A.J. Howard (signed to practice squad), DB C.J. Reavis
Buffalo Bills
- DE Alex Barrett, RB Senorise Perry (signed to 53-man roster), LB Wyatt Ray (signed to practice squad)
Carolina Panthers
Cleveland Browns
- WR Jeff Badet
Denver Broncos
- CB David Amerson, CB Chris Campbell, CB Deatrick Nichols, CB Shareece Wright
Detroit Lions
- WR Quincy Adeboyejo, WR Bennie Fowler, WR Emanuel Hall
Green Bay Packers
- TE Rico Gathers, DL Mike Pennel, DL Adolphus Washington, TE Cole Wick, DT Sylvester Williams, TE Ethan Wolf (signed to practice squad)
Houston Texans
- C Marcus Henry, DT Willie Henry, DT Brian Price, C Keegan Render
Indianapolis Colts
- DT Carl Davis, LB Obum Gwacham, DE Eli Harold, DL Joel Heath, DL Damontre Moore, LB Pita Taumoepenu, DL Ethan Westbrooks
Jacksonville Jaguars
- TE Brian Parker, TE Eric Tomlinson, TE Will Tye
Los Angeles Chargers
- S Shalom Luani, S Tre Sullivan
New England Patriots
- DB Brian Allen, K Nick Rose, DT Eddie Vanderdoes
Oakland Raiders
- DE Andre Branch, LB Kasim Edebali, OL Datone Jones, DE Terrence Fede, LB Nate Orchard
Philadelphia Eagles
- WR Penny Hart, LB Paul Worrilow
Seattle Seahawks
- CB Adonis Alexander, DB Brian Allen, CB Saivion Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- WR Cyril Grayson, RB Darius Jackson, QB Chad Kanoff, WR Caleb Scott, RB David Williams
Tennessee Titans
- RB Jeremy McNichols, RB Zach Zenner
Washington Redskins
- OL Malcolm Bunche (signed to practice squad), LB Darrell Williams
Broncos Sign Coty Sensabaugh, Place De’Vante Bausby On IR
The Broncos are making a move to bolster their ailing defense. Denver is signing veteran cornerback Coty Sensabaugh, sources told Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link).
Klis notes that the Broncos worked out several corners this morning, and Sensabaugh apparently won the competition. De’Vante Bausby, who was just recently inserted into the starting lineup, suffered a scary spine injury in their Week 5 win over the Chargers, and Klis reports in a separate tweet that he’s headed to injured reserve. Sensabaugh was a fourth-round pick of the Titans back in 2012, and he brings a lot of starting experience.
For his career, the Clemson product has appeared in 101 games while making 43 starts. After playing out his initial rookie deal in Tennessee, he landed a three-year, $15MM deal from the Rams. He started a couple of games early on, but was surprisingly released after just a month in Los Angeles. He spent the past two seasons in Pittsburgh, and started ten games for them last season.
Bausby was ultimately diagnosed with a cervical sprain, and thankfully was back in the locker room today moving around well and speaking to reporters. He shared some frightening details, including that he was partially paralyzed for the first 30 minutes after taking a friendly-fire hit, via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic (Twitter link). Hopefully Bausby continues to make a full recovery, and it sounds like that’s what is expected.