Aqib Talib Out Sunday
- Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib will not play on Sunday night against Oakland due to his back injury, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets.
Practice Squad Updates: 11/2/16
Here are today’s practice squad moves.
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: TE Nic Jacobs
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Williams Poehls
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Connor Hamlett
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB Terrell Watson
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Brandon Burks (via Packersnews.com)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: OL Zach Sterup
- Signed: OL Joe Cheek
- Cut: CB Tyler Patmon (Twitter link via Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
Opinion: Broncos A Fit For Joe Thomas
With the league’s trading deadline less than 24 hours away, Mike Sando of ESPN Insider and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com try to guess where certain players might end up in the coming days. The Seahawks would make a perfect fit for Browns left tackle Joe Thomas, opines Sando, who also suggests the Packers try to acquire Torrey Smith and the Bears attempt to find a taker for Alshon Jeffery. Meanwhile, La Canfora focuses solely on Thomas, laying out the case for clubs such as the Cardinals, Broncos, and Colts to go after the future Hall of Famer.
Patriots, Broncos Had Discussed A.J. Derby Trade Before
- The Patriots had discussed an A.J. Derby trade with the Broncos before the regular season began, so the two side had a basis on which to build when they ultimately struck a deal to send the tight end to Denver last week, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. The Broncos had been interested in Derby as far back as the 2015 draft, but New England wasn’t ready to move him earlier this year. The Patriots were able to recoup a fifth-round pick for Derby, which Reiss reports was viewed as a strong return around the league.
Seahawks, Cards, Broncos Eyeing OL Upgrades
The Seahawks, Cardinals, and Broncos are among the teams internally considering an offensive line acquisition, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, and those clubs are having conversations regarding what they would sacrifice in a trade. The Giants are also interested in making an offensive line deal, per La Canfora, confirming a report earlier today that indicated New York is evaluating the Browns’ Joe Thomas.
[RELATED: Trade Deadline To Be Active?]
Thomas is of interest to Seattle, Arizona, and Denver, as well, but so is 49ers offensive tackle Joe Staley, who is thought to be on the trade block. However, both Cleveland and San Francisco have placed high price tags on their respective tackles, and it’s unlikely that any of the interested clubs will be able to meet the cost, reports La Canfora. Both the Browns and 49ers have downplayed the idea that they’re looking to sell at the deadline, but that could be part of a strategy to drive up the price of their assets.
The Seahawks, of course, have fielded one of the more porous offensive lines for several years, and haven’t seemed interested in making a serious investment along their front five. The offensive line issues have become even more obvious with quarterback Russell Wilson playing through injuries, meaning he can’t move about the pocket with his usual prowess. Seattle also ranks 28th in adjusted line yards, Football Outsiders‘ run-blocking metric, and is now starting George Fant — a rookie undrafted free agent who hasn’t made a start since Pee Wee football — at left tackle.
The Cardinals’ offensive line troubles, meanwhile, have been on the interior, where the club has lost guard Evan Mathis for the season and center A.Q. Shipley hasn’t played well. But an acquisition of Thomas or Staley would clearly offer an upgrade, and would allow Arizona to move former first-round pick D.J. Humphries back to the bench. In such a scenario, either current left tackle Jared Veldheer or the Cards’ presumed addition would shift to the right side.
Like Arizona, most of Denver’s line problems have come on the inside, meaning the Broncos would need to shuffle their line in the event of a tackle trade. If Denver picked up Thomas or Staley, incumbent left tackle Russell Okung would probably move to the right side, allowing Donald Stephenson to switch from right tackle to guard.
Broncos To Place C.J. Anderson On IR
SATURDAY, 12:40pm: It’s official. The Broncos have place Anderson on the IR (via Klis on Twitter). The team has also officially promoted Thompson to the active roster (via Klis).
FRIDAY, 4:12pm: The Broncos will place running back C.J. Anderson on injured reserve and promote fellow rusher Juwan Thompson from their practice squad, reports Mike Klis of 9News. Anderson will be eligible to come back in eight weeks, and the 25-year-old announced on Twitter that he’s aiming for a playoff return if the 5-2 Broncos make it that far.
Over the Broncos’ first seven games, Anderson easily led the team in carries (110), ground yards (437) and rushing touchdowns (four). He also added 16 catches and another score. Anderson tore his right meniscus in the first quarter of the Broncos’ win over the Texans on Monday and underwent surgery Thursday.
With Anderson down, rookie Devontae Booker will take over as the Broncos’ go-to rusher. The fourth-rounder from Utah is the only back other than Anderson on Denver’s roster who has accrued double-digit carries this year. Booker has averaged an impressive 4.8 yards per attempt and found the end zone once on 51 carries. That score came versus the Texans, against whom Booker notched career highs in carries (17) and yards (83).
Broncos RB C.J. Anderson Likely Going On IR
C.J. Anderson has torn the meniscus in his right knee, Mike Klis of 9NEWS tweets. He is likely headed to IR. He’ll have arthroscopic surgery today to determine whether it’s a full or partial tear, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
There has been a roller coaster of reports on Anderson with some indicating that he could be out a few weeks while others hinted at a longer stint on the sidelines. Now, we know that Anderson will be out for at least two months.
It’s not immediately clear whether Anderson could conceivably make a late season return. Anderson’s timetable will likely hinge on the severity of the tear. A partial tear of the meniscus could allow for a faster recovery. However, a “bucket handle tear” of the meniscus like the one suffered by Adrian Peterson would rule him out for a lot longer.
Earlier today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) reported that Anderson told people close to him that he is done for the year. Anderson issued a denial of his own on Twitter, but later deleted it.
No ACL Tear For C.J. Anderson
UPDATE: Anderson did not suffer an ACL tear, but he is likely headed to IR after tearing his meniscus. Click here for more.
C.J. Anderson’s worst case scenario has been ruled out. Tests have confirmed that the Broncos running back does not have an ACL tear, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. More should be known about the full extent of Anderson’s injury later on today when the Broncos provide an update. 
Anderson suffered his knee injury in the first quarter of Monday night’s game against the Texans. Showing tremendous heart, Anderson stayed in the game. Afterwards, the Broncos took a closer look at the injury and feared significant damage. Anderson isn’t totally out of the woods and could still miss multiple games, but it doesn’t sound like his injury is a season-ender.
Yesterday, it was reported that Anderson is expected to be out at least a few weeks. That still sounds like the most likely outcome for the the 25-year-old, but we should know more about his timetable this afternoon.
Broncos’ C.J. Anderson To Miss Time?
C.J. Anderson is expected to be out at least a few weeks with a knee injury, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). He’s getting a second opinion today to see if he could be out for even longer than that. 
Anderson suffered his injury early on in Monday night’s game. The running back held his knee while on the ground though he was not hit anywhere near the knee. Usually, non-contact knee injuries are the most severe. Anderson proved his toughness by staying in the game, but he’s now at the point where he’ll probably have to rest up for a little while.
So far this year, Anderson has 437 yards on the ground, making him Denver’s leading rusher. While Anderson is out, the Broncos are expected to slot Devontae Booker in as the starter while bumping Kapri Bibbs up the depth chart. The team may also explore adding a running back to hold them over. That addition could come within by promoting Juwan Thompson from the taxi squad.
Broncos Cut Shiloh Keo
- After acquiring tight end A.J. Derby earlier today, the Broncos have cleared a roster spot by releasing safety Shiloh Keo, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post (Twitter link).