The Denver Broncos are less than a month away from playing their first regular season game, but they’ve already been hit hard by injuries.
Luckily for them, the injuries don’t appear to be anything they can’t overcome.
On Tuesday Head coach Vance Joseph updated the status of defensive ends Derek Wolfe and Jared Crick, the latest Broncos to be bitten by the injury bug, as well as several other players currently recovering from injury.
“Just back spasms – just sore,” Joseph said of Crick. “He’s been tight for a couple of days, he spasm’ed up pretty bad and that was pretty much it. He’s day-to-day so we’ll kind of see how he’s doing, but right now he’s going to be out [for Saturday’s preseason game against San Francisco]. He’s not going to travel. He’s going to stay behind and do treatment with the guys staying behind.”
Crick was carted off the practice field on Monday during the team period. He was the second defensive end in as many days to be carted off the field after Derek Wolfe suffered a sprained ankle on Saturday.
Considering the amount of injuries the Broncos have had to deal with before even taking the field for a game that counts, they have dodged a bullet when it comes to the severity of these injuries. According to Joseph, both Crick and Wolfe should be good to go come Week 1.
“Standing here now, yes they should be ready for the opener,” Joseph said. “That’s the plan, and that’s why we’re going so slow with these guys. I can push Wolfe out there next week and push Crick out there probably by Friday, but it makes no sense. Our goal for those guys is to rehab, get them as healthy as possible and Week 1 be at full strength.”
Both Crick and Wolfe’s injuries occurred during training camp, but Joseph also updated the status of two players who are working back from injuries they suffered last season. Joseph said on Tuesday that center Matt Paradis and running back Jamaal Charles won’t play against the San Francisco for Week 2 of the preseason, but will play against the Green Bay Packers in the preseason home opener.
According to Joseph, that’s been the plan for Charles all along.
“That’s been the plan for the entire time, to kind of get Jamaal as strong as he can be before we put him on the field,” Joseph said. “He is ready to go; it’s me holding Jamaal back, but he wants to go. He wanted to go last week, but the plan was Green Bay so we’re going to stick with that plan. He will practice this week though in San Fran. He’s traveling, he will practice, but he won’t play Saturday.”
Wide receiver Cody Latimer and rookie defensive end DeMarcus Walker were among a group of Broncos not practicing Tuesday. Joseph also updated their status.
“Cody’s got a sore knee, that’s pretty much it. We’re just being smart about it,” Joseph said.
“DeMarcus Walker has got a sore hip flexor and we’re being smart about it,” he said.
Joseph and company seem to have a plan when it comes to working his players back from injury. Now all he needs is for everyone else to remain healthy during the team’s trip to San Francisco.
The Broncos leave Tuesday for San Francisco for joint practices with the 49ers on Wednesday and Thursday. The two teams will face one another in Preseason Week 2 on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. MDT.
