Mile High Sports

Broncos injury tracker vs. Green Bay – offense and defense both take hits

MHS Staff

The Denver Broncos picked up another win on Saturday night, a 20-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers to run their record to 3-0 in the 2017 preseason. They also picked up a slew of new injuries, including more damage to the dinged-up defensive line and a slightly worrisome injury to a key offensive playmaker.

C.J. Anderson gave the Broncos a little scare on the first drive when he came out of the game after two plays, but he returned to the game shortly thereafter and showed no lingering signs throughout the remainder of the game.

The first, and perhaps biggest, player to go down was defensive lineman Zach Kerr, who had another player roll up on him and injure his knee. After the game head coach Vance Joseph said Kerr would undergo additional testing.

The Broncos are already short on defensive lineman having lost Billy Winn in the preseason opener. Injuries to Derek Wolfe and Jared Crick had them sidelined against Green Bay. Wolfe will be out until at least Week 1. Denver has added several undrafted free agents for depth, but losing Kerr – an offseason free-agent signing – would be very unnerving for defensive coordinator Joe Woods and defensive line coach Bill Kollar. Postgame, Joseph was optimistic about Kerr’s prognosis.

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The next injury flew under the radar, but could have big impact on the offense. At the same time Broncos Executive Vice President of Media and Community Relations Patrick Smyth offered an update on Kerr, he also revealed that Demaryius Thomas had exited the game. Thomas was not visibly shaken up on any plays, but the injury does raise some cause for concern as the veteran wideout battled through a hip injury last year.

Joseph later called it a sore thigh, but the groin, hip and thigh are all in the same general region of the body. This will certainly be one to keep an eye on.

Jamaal Charles had a solid night in his Denver debut, averaging 6.8 yards per carry on four attempts. He also looked solid in pass protection and caught a couple of passes for 15 yards. It looked like Charles had all but booked his spot on the roster before he had an awkward cut and took a big hit on a 12-yard carry. He retired to an on-field medical tent for evaluation. The Broncos breathed a big sigh of relief when he emerged with no sign of a knee injury and was soon after cleared in concussion protocol. Charles returned to the field later in the period and helped produce a game-tying field goal drive.

The Broncos did lose another important member on defense, however. Second-year safety Will Parks left the game with what Joseph called postgame a “hip pointer.” Parks is behind T.J. Ward on the depth chart at strong safety. That’s important because

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The final notable injury on the night was newly named backup quarterback Paxton Lynch, who was hurt on the very first drive he played, to start the second half.

Lynch was sacked on back-to-back plays to force a Brandon McManus field goal attempt on the tail end of the drive. Lynch was hurt and forced to exit the game. He did not return.

His injury was announced during the game as a “throwing shoulder injury.” In his postgame press conference, Joseph said it was just a bruise and that nothing should change with the depth chart.

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