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Broncos LB Jonas Griffith Tears ACL

August 3rd, 2023 at 11:46am CST by Sam Robinson

One of many Broncos to miss extended time due to injury last season, Jonas Griffith is now expected to miss the entire 2023 campaign.

The former UDFA suffered an ACL injury during training camp, 9News’ Mike Klis reports (on Twitter). The young linebacker has indeed sustained a torn ACL, the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel tweets. This marks the second season-ending injury the Broncos have sustained this week. Tim Patrick, who missed all of 2022 with an ACL tear, went down with an Achilles tear Monday. Patrick is now on IR.

A former 49ers UDFA whom the Broncos traded for in 2020, Griffith started eight games for the team last year. As the Broncos attempt to shake their injury-prone reputation, this week has brought a reminder of the team’s recent past.

For Griffith, this brings more of the same as well. The Indiana State alum suffered a dislocated elbow during Denver’s preseason slate last year. While he recovered in time to start the regular season, a foot injury sustained during a November practice knocked Griffith out for the rest of the year. Thursday’s setback will effectively lead to a 1 1/2-season hiatus for Griffith, and the pattern of maladies form a hurdle of sorts for a player who has been a regular since debuting for the Broncos in 2021.

Griffith played 255 defensive snaps in 2021, and although the foot injury limited him to nine games last season, the 26-year-old off-ball linebacker topped that with 336 last season. Griffith made 46 tackles in both 2021 and ’22, serving as a special teams regular as well. The Broncos tendered him as an ERFA in March. They will have the option of placing the low-end RFA tender on the Division I-FCS product next year, but this ACL injury may affect his future in Denver.

The Broncos have re-signed both their top ILBs — Josey Jewell, Alex Singleton — in consecutive offseasons. Singleton agreed to terms on a three-year, $18MM deal in March. The team used a third-round pick on Arkansas’ Drew Sanders, a hybrid player who has lined up as an off-ball ‘backer and on the edge.

NFL Injury Updates: Kupp, Moss, Anderson

August 2nd, 2023 at 9:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Last night, the Rams suffered a scare as former All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp left a Tuesday night practice early with a hamstring injury, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The veteran underwent an MRI to determine the extent of the damage early this morning.

While many players who talked with the media didn’t see the injury occur, it’s believed that he was forced to pull up while running a redzone route, leading to concern as a non-contact injury. Without details being released, a spokesperson for the team confirmed the injury.

Kupp’s presence in the Rams’ offense is vital. A year after winning the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award, Kupp once again led the team in receiving yards last season. What’s amazing about that is that, this time, he did it despite missing eight games due to injury. If he had continued to play the remainder of the season and produce at the same pace, he would have finished the season with the third-most receiving yards in the league last year, behind only Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill.

After Kupp missed the back half of the season last year with a high ankle sprain, the team is going to be delicate with any injury situation heading into the preseason. They will be cautious with Kupp moving forward, but Los Angeles does expect that he may be able to return “for scrimmages in a few weeks.”

Here are a couple of other updates on injuries from around the league:

  • One of Denver’s newest young cornerbacks will be cutting it close to play in Week 1 of his rookie season, according to Troy Renck of Denver7. The Broncos‘ second of two third-round picks, former Iowa cornerback Riley Moss underwent “core/sports hernia surgery” this week in Philadelphia. The recovery is expected to take around four weeks, which will have Moss back just in time to debut for the regular season if he can avoid any setbacks.
  • The Patriots were really hoping to see former Broncos offensive tackle Calvin Anderson step up and compete for a starting tackle job on their offensive line this summer. Unfortunately, Anderson began camp on the non-football illness list with an undisclosed illness. When asked about a timeline for Anderson’s return, head coach Bill Belichick gave the noncommittal response of, “We’ll see how it goes,” telling reporters that he doesn’t have a crystal ball. It’s unclear what form of illness could be holding Anderson out for such a long period of time without hope for reprieve, but based on Belichick’s answer, New England may need to start looking at other options in their tackle competition.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/23

August 2nd, 2023 at 7:07pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league:

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Waived: WR Ed Lee

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

Moseley reportedly had a small clean-up procedure on his knee the other day as he continues to come back from last year’s ACL tear. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, it doesn’t appear to be a major setback, and head coach Dan Campbell expects Moseley back on Monday.

The news on Harris’s retirement comes from KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson, who reports that the two sides “are parting ways as (Harris) plans to retire.” If this is truly the end of the road for Harris, then the transaction puts a cap on a five-year career that saw Harris rack up 11 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and three quarterback hits in the NFL.

Turk was urgently brought on as an undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma to compete with free agent addition Jake Bailey, formerly with the Patriots. The punter competition may be over quickly as Bailey is the only punter on the roster now.

Trice, the Steelers’ first of two seventh-round picks this year, suffered a non-contact injury at camp yesterday. His placement on injured reserve indicates that his rookie season has unfortunately come to an end before it had the chance to begin.

Broncos DL Eyioma Uwazurike Subject Of Criminal Gambling Investigation

August 2nd, 2023 at 9:18am CST by Sam Robinson

Second-year Broncos defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike received a full-season suspension for betting on NFL games, joining a handful of players during what has been an active stretch for the NFL and gambling trouble. The former fourth-round pick’s rookie season is now believed to have included bets on Broncos games.

Uwazurike bet on at least five Broncos games, two in which he played, according to the Des Moines Register’s Travis Hines and Randy Peterson. These were among the approximately 801 wagers a FanDuel account controlled by Uwazurike made. These bets totaled just more than $21K and are the subject of a criminal gambling investigation in Iowa, per Hines and Peterson, who add Uwazurike also bet on Cyclones games he played in during the 2021 season.

In total, Uwazurike made 32 bets on Broncos games or Broncos players. It is not yet known if any of these bets were on the Broncos to lose or unders involving Denver players. Prosecutors have accused Uwazurike of tampering with records and disguising his identity to make these bets, according to the complaint, by using another person, Rachel Louise Francis, to make the wagers for him. The Broncos have cooperated with this investigation, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.

Uwazurike, 25, is far from the first player to be hit with a gambling ban in recent months. A handful of players, including Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, were found to have bet on NFL games and are thus under indefinite suspension. Rodgers was found to have bet on Colts games. Uwazurike’s involvement in a criminal gambling matter is a different story, and his role as a rotational D-lineman in Denver clouds his NFL future in light of this probe. Three years remain on Uwazurike’s rookie contract, which will toll to 2024 — provided he is still with the team by that point.

The Colts waived Rodgers, while the Lions cut the four non-Jameson Williams popped with gambling suspensions. Defensive end Shaka Toney remains with the Commanders. The NFL went years without a gambling policy violator, but a 2018 Supreme Court decision that expanded betting to numerous states beyond Nevada and New Jersey has both affected the NFL through partnerships and with players running afoul of the betting policy. Teams have attempted to better educate players on the gambling policy, but Uwazurike trudged into hot water earlier by allegedly making bets as a college athlete.

The Broncos used Uwazurike as a backup D-lineman in eight games last season; he played 165 defensive snaps. Along with fellow second-year player Matt Henningsen, Uwazurike had a chance to play a bigger role this season. He is due in court August 16.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/23

August 1st, 2023 at 8:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: RB Toriano Clinton, TE La’Michael Pettway, T Dan Skipper
  • Waived: T Jordan Murray, TE Kaden Smith, DT Jamal Woods

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

  • Claimed (from Bears): WR Thyrick Pitts
  • Placed on reserve/retired list: WR Jalen Hurd

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Chosen in the third round by the 49ers back in 2019, Hurd never ended up seeing regular-season action. A converted running back who played in front of Alvin Kamara at points while at Tennessee, Hurd transferred to Baylor and became a wide receiver. Two season-ending injuries — a back malady in 2019 and an ACL tear in 2020 — derailed Hurd’s 49ers tenure. The team cut him during the 2021 season. Barely a week after the Patriots signed Hurd, it appears he is throwing in the towel on an injury-plagued career.

Penisini had unretired this offseason, joining the Panthers. The former Lions sixth-rounder played two seasons on his rookie contract but called it quits in June 2022. His unretirement will precede a Panthers exit. The Lions are moving Zylstra off their 90-man roster due to a severe knee injury. If unclaimed, Zylstra would revert to Detroit’s IR list. Zylstra has seen action in 17 games for the Lions over the past two seasons.

Hassenauer will require surgery to repair a triceps injury, and this transaction will shut him down — as far as the Giants are concerned. The only way Hassenauer can play in 2023 would be if the Giants removed him from IR via an injury settlement. Hairston suffered a herniated disk during practice, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter).

Broncos To Sign CB Fabian Moreau

August 1st, 2023 at 3:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Making Ronald Darby a cap casualty earlier this year, the Broncos had stood pat on the veteran front at cornerback. They are making a mid-training camp addition, however.

Fabian Moreau will join the team on a one-year deal, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Moreau has experience as a boundary and slot corner. He will join a group anchored by Patrick Surtain but one featuring some questions at the other spots.

The Dolphins worked out Moreau recently, but they signed Eli Apple in the wake of Jalen Ramsey‘s knee surgery. The Broncos will take a look at the former Washington, Falcons and Giants corner, who is going into his age-29 season. The former third-round pick has made 45 career starts, including 11 last season for the Giants.

Qualifying as a journeyman at this point, Moreau spent last year with two teams. The Texans signed the UCLA alum but released him before the regular season. Moreau caught on with the Giants but did not debut for the playoff-bound team until Week 2. The Giants lost one of their starting corners (Aaron Robinson) for the season and another (Adoree’ Jackson) for a sizable chunk of it, depleting Don Martindale‘s depth chart. Moreau moved from the practice squad into the lineup, and while his coverage metrics rated slightly better compared to a rough 2021 opposite AJ Terrell in Atlanta, Pro Football Focus still rated him 90th at the position.

Moreau, whom Pro-Football-Reference charged with allowing five touchdown passes (after ceding eight in 2021), saw time in the slot in Washington but was not re-signed following the expiration of his rookie contract. Moreau intercepted six passes from 2018-20 and was credited with 21 passes defensed over the past two seasons.

The 6-foot cover man will be given a chance to earn a spot in a Broncos CB corps that features Damarri Mathis and K’Waun Williams as its expected starters alongside Surtain. The team did, however, trade up for Iowa’s Riley Moss in Round 3. Moreau would represent a veteran option on the outside in the Surtain-fronted group, with Mathis — Darby’s injury replacement last year — going into his second season.

Broncos To Waive WR KJ Hamler

August 1st, 2023 at 1:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

AUGUST 1: Hamler is expected to miss around a month, per Sean Payton. While that could open the door to a reunion before the season, the new Broncos HC indicated it will likely take a few weeks for the young wide receiver to ramp up after the time away. Hamler also spent the offseason rehabbing a torn pectoral muscle he sustained early this year.

JULY 31: On a day when one Broncos wideout appeared to suffer a second straight season-ending injury, more unfortunate news surfaced concerning another member of the unit. KJ Hamler provided an update on his latest ailment, one which will lead to at least a temporary departure from the team.

[RELATED: Tim Patrick Believed To Have Torn Achilles]

Denver will waive Hamler with a non-football illness designation, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). The move will not mark a permanent separation with the former second-rounder, but rather a procedural transaction which will open up a roster spot and keep the door open to a return at some point during the season. Placing Hamler on the reserve/NFI list would have ended his season.

The Penn State product revealed (via Garafolo, on Twitter) on Monday that he is dealing with pericarditis, a heart condition which will be treated with medication rather than surgery. The recovery timeline is not expected to sideline him for the season, with Garafolo noting Hamler should miss “weeks, not months.” That should allow him to return at some point in the 2023 campaign, one of vital importance for him.

Hamler has faced numerous injury troubles during his three-year Broncos tenure. The 24-year-old played 13 games as a rookie, but has managed to suit up for only 10 after that. His 14.8 yards per catch average point to his abilities as a deep threat, though his receiving totals (42 catches, 620 yards, three touchdowns) are a product of a very small sample size. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, a healthy and productive season would do wonders for Hamler’s future in Denver or elsewhere.

The Broncos have Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton at the top of their WR depth chart, one which will be thin in the absence of Hamler and veteran Tim Patrick. Second-round rookie Marvin Mims could find himself in a starting role right away, something the team likely accounted for knowing the history of availability issues for Patrick and Hamler.

“I will be back on the field — better and stronger than ever — as soon as possible this season,” the latter’s Instagram post on his situation reads in part. “I feel great physically and this is frustrating for me to deal with… This is not farewell. This is not a goodbye. This is a see you soon as I take a break for my health.”

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/31/23

July 31st, 2023 at 8:14pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: CB Lorenzo Burns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed: CB Anthony Witherstone
  • Placed on IR: LB Isaiah Moore

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Derrick Gore is probably the most intriguing signee on the list, with the running back having seen time in 11 games for the Chiefs in 2021. He finished that season with 361 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns, but he didn’t have a chance for a followup performance in Kansas City. After landing on IR in late August last year, he was ultimately released by the Chiefs. Gore caught on with the Saints and spent the majority of the 2022 season on their practice squad.

Yasir Durant is another Chiefs product, with the lineman getting into 11 games for Kansas City in 2020. He appeared in seven games for the Patriots in 2021 before spending most of last season on the Saints practice squad. He’ll be taking the roster spot previously held by Christian DiLauro, who got into five games for the Titans and Broncos over the past two years.

Darius Harris will be joining the Raiders following a career year in Kansas City. After being limited to only 11 games through his first two seasons in the NFL, Harris got into all 17 games for the Chiefs last year, including four starts. The former UDFA finished the year with 43 tackles and 1.5 sacks, and he added another five tackles in three playoff games. One of Harris’s strongest performances of the 2022 season came against the Raiders when he had 10 tackles and a sack.

Broncos’ Tim Patrick Suffers Torn Achilles

July 31st, 2023 at 5:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

5:55pm: Patrick has indeed suffered a complete tear of the Achilles, per Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter). The injury will knock Patrick out for the entire 2023 campaign.

1:50pm: Tim Patrick was expected to play a significant role in the Broncos’ offense this year after missing all of last season. Instead, the veteran wideout appears to have suffered another massive injury.

The 29-year-old is believed to have suffered a torn Achilles, head coach Sean Payton said on Monday (Twitter link via NFL Network’s James Palmer). If that does turn out to be the case, it will mark a crushing blow for Patrick and the second consecutive year in which he loses a campaign to a major injury.

The former UDFA tore his ACL almost exactly one year ago, and he was sidelined for the 2022 season as a result. That injury occurred in his right leg, while this latest one affects his left. Patrick was carted off the field during practice, and he was seen on crutches when entering the locker room. At a minimum, he could be facing another extended absence to start the year, which would further delay his attempt to return to his pre-injury form.

Patrick put up almost identical statlines in 2020 and 2021, averaging 52 catches and 738 yards per season. He scored 11 touchdowns over that span, making him a full-time starter alongside Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton. Each of the latter two were mentioned frequently in trade talks this offseason, but the team has remained insistent that they will not be moved. Missing Patrick for, potentially, another full season would add to Jeudy and Sutton’s workloads in a passing attack which desperately needs improvement from last year.

The Broncos made a slight trade up the board to select Marvin Mims with their top pick in this year’s draft, giving them another young pass-catcher. Missing Patrick – along with KJ Hamler, who has battled injuries throughout his career and is currently on the NFI list – for any extended stretch could thrust Mims into an immediate starting role. Growing pains during his rookie season could hinder the effectiveness of Denver’s offense during Sean Payton‘s first year at the helm.

Further evaluation will be needed to determine if Patrick has been faced with another lengthy rehab process. If that does turn out to be the case, his future with the team could be put in doubt. The Utah product is due $5.5MM in guaranteed money this season, but none of his compensation in 2024 (the final year of his deal) is guaranteed. Patrick is set to count for just over $11MM in cap space this year, though an IR stay would obviously change the Broncos’ financial outlook at the receiver spot.

Dalvin Cook Receiving Interest From “About Five” Teams

July 29th, 2023 at 1:34pm CST by Ely Allen

JULY 29: Cook went on ESPN today to discuss his visit plans prior to tomorrow’s date with the Jets. According to Rich Cimini of the network, Cook confirmed tomorrow’s plans but claimed that, as of right now, no other visits are in the books. He did say that “thing are definitely heating up,” and a Patriots visit has been rumored for a couple days now, so there’s a chance he could be shipping up to Boston in the coming days, as well.

As for the Jets, Cook pointed to their roster as a factor that piqued his interest. The team, the coaching staff, and the prospect of playing in an offense with Rodgers all certainly contributed to his desire to take tomorrow’s visit. It will be interesting to see if he comes away from New York tomorrow with a new deal or not.

JULY 28: Since being released by the Vikings back in early-June, veteran running back Dalvin Cook has been a bit hush-hush about his free agency. Rumors and speculations have come from all over without any hint of how much was true, but today, during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, Cook informed Patrick that “probably about five” teams have shown legitimate interest in acquiring his talents.

As soon as Cook was released, early speculation was pointed at his hometown Dolphins and the Broncos. It was established fairly soon after that Denver was unlikely to bring Cook aboard. The team apparently felt confident in a 1-2 punch of the recovering Javonte Williams and career-RB2 Samaje Perine. There seemed to be quite a bit of back and forth between Cook and Miami, but in the end, the Dolphins never gave Cook an offer worth taking.

As the weeks rolled on with no deal, two other AFC East teams entered the fold as the Jets and Patriots began to show interest. Both teams have been active in adding new talent this offseason. The Patriots added JuJu Smith-Schuster to their wide receiving corps and seemingly finished second in the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes. Adding Cook to a backfield led by Rhamondre Stevenson could be extremely attractive for new Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

New York added wide receivers Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman, and Randall Cobb to a corps that already rostered Garrett Wilson and Corey Davis. All these weapons were brought in to provide new quarterback Aaron Rodgers with a strong offensive cast. They do have a solid, if not unproven, group of running backs in Breece Hall, Michael Carter, and rookie Israel Abanikanda. Adding a veteran like Cook could be beneficial for the room, but it certainly isn’t a necessity. Cook is set to visit the Jets this Sunday.

So, who are the five teams? Assuming the Broncos, who ruled themselves out early, aren’t on the list, the Dolphins, Jets, and Patriots should make up three of those teams. The fourth AFC East team, the Bills, was mentioned as a possibility as Cook entertained the idea of playing with his little brother, James, according to Zach Dimmitt of Sports Illustrated.

It’s unclear who the fifth team would be. Our early speculations listed the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Cowboys, Buccaneers, and Commanders as early possibilities, but no serious interest has been reported from any of these teams. Regardless of who the fifth suitor happens to be, it still seems like there is at least an 80 percent chance that Cook ends up in the AFC East.

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