When the Denver Broncos face off against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, they’ll do so without tight end Evan Engram or linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
Denver Broncos rule out Evan Engram, Dre Greenlaw vs. Chargers
The Denver Broncos made several big splashes in NFL Free Agency, bringing in Evan Engram and Dre Greenlaw. Unfortunately, both players have battled injuries to start their Broncos tenure, with Engram being limited the last two weeks with a calf injury and Greenlaw dealing with a quad injury that’s lingered since April.
Engram suffered a back injury during Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts and did not participate in practice all week. He has been ruled out for Sunday’s game and will not play. Engram, however, was on the team’s side field during Friday’s practice.
Greenlaw was on the side field as well, but has also been ruled out. Sure, Broncos fans have every right to be frustrated that they haven’t seen Greenlaw or much of Engram yet, but patience is a virtue. Both players have been working hard to get to where they need to be.
Through two weeks, Engram’s utilization has been a question mark, but Sean Payton said that it hasn’t had anything to do with injury.
“It’s probably too early to tell,” Payton said. “Certainly he’s gonna play a big role for us. Two games in.” When asked if his utilization has been impacted due to injury, Payton said, “No, no, no, no. I think the back became a factor during the game last week, so no.”
With Engram out, we’ll likely see a heavy dosage of Lucas Krull, Adam Trautman, and Nate Adkins, who will be making his season debut on Sunday after having tightrope ankle surgery during training camp.
Other players listed on the injury report this week, including Alex Singleton, Nik Bonitto, Talanoa Hufanga, and Justin Strnad, are all off the report and will be good to go for Sunday’s game.