The Denver Broncos could have had a chance to make a roster move on Tuesday surrounding Patrick Surtain II and Nate Adkins — both players were injured in Sunday’s win against the Dallas Cowboys.
With Surtain, we know that he will miss several weeks with a pectoral strain, but the decision to avoid putting him on injured reserve for now might be the best option. He is going to have a second opinion this week, but putting him on reserve would cause him to miss a minimum of four games, not weeks.
If he goes to IR, which is still a possibility this week, he’d miss the Texans, Raiders, Chiefs, and Commanders games over the course of the next five weeks. Denver plays Houston on Sunday, but then has a short week to face the Raiders on Thursday Night, followed by 10 days of rest until they host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12, then the team would go into their BYE week after KC, which gives Surtain a lot of time to recover.
Depending on the second opinion, the hope would be that he could return on Sunday Night Football against the Commanders. The best-case scenario would be a return against the Chiefs, but the official timetable for him is truly considered week-to-week, and the Broncos will be smart with their approach with him.
Broncos eyeing tight ends
Adkins suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s win against the Cowboys, but did not land on IR on Tuesday. That doesn’t mean a stint on IR isn’t in the books, but it’s worth noting considering the NFL Trade Deadline approaches next Tuesday. Denver is already without Lucas Krull, who underwent foot surgery early this week, ending his season.
The Broncos also missed out on grabbing two tight ends, Ben Sims of the Green Bay Packers and Brendan Bates of the Houston Texans, off the waiver wire, which could make them players at the NFL Trade Deadline for that position.
They hosted veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis on a tryout basis on Tuesday, per the league wire. If Payton and the Broncos feel he could be an asset as a blocker, they could sign him to the practice squad and elevate him.
He tried out but did not sign, but he could.