The Denver Broncos are aiming to navigate the final two weeks of the regular season in hopes of finishing above .500 for the first time since 2016. As they prepare for the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, they were without one of their top defensive players during Thursday’s practice.
Justin Simmons misses Broncos practice on Thursday
As the Broncos took the practice field at the Centura Training Center on Thursday for their second day of Jarrett Stidham manning the quarterback position, they were without one of their top defensive players.
Safety Justin Simmons was not present for Thursday’s practice as he battles an illness. He and running back Dwayne Washington each missed Thursday’s practice with an illness. We’ll see if Simmons returns to the practice field on Friday for the Broncos, but there is no further update on whether or not this puts his game status into question.
Outside linebacker Baron Browning and wide receiver Courtland Sutton missed their second consecutive day of practice as they continue to navigate through the NFL’s concussion protocol. One potentially promising sign for the Broncos was seeing Sutton doing some light work on Thursday on the team’s side field, but that still isn’t enough to push him through the protocol.
There is a chance Sutton will miss Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, and there’s a bigger chance that Browning will as well.
If that’s the case, the Broncos offense and new quarterback Jarrett Stidham will have one less passing weapon to throw to, but it could open the door for more looks at Jerry Jeudy or lead to a practice squad elevation for Tre’Quan Smith.
In the event Browning is ruled out, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto is likely expected to start in place of him after he was upgraded to being a full participant in Thursday’s practice after being limited on Wednesday. The Broncos would also likely elevate Ronnie Perkins once again this weekend from the practice squad to help add to their outside linebacker depth.
Tight end Greg Dulcich did not participate on Thursday either, as he continues to deal with a foot injury. At this point, he may not play another down for the rest of the season, even though Denver activated his 21-day window when they designated him to return.
Defensive tackle Mike Purcell and tight end Chris Manhertz each had a vet day off and received rest. Rookie wide receiver Marvin Mims popped up with a hamstring injury and was a limited participant on Thursday, which will bear monitoring on Friday as Denver wraps up their final practice of the week.
After having a vet day off on Wednesday, running back Samaje Perine returned as a full participant on Friday alongside offensive tackle Alex Palczewski, who was a full participant for a second consecutive day.
The Broncos will be back on the field on Friday for their final game prep for the Chargers on Sunday.
