Denver Broncos: Su’a Cravens cleared for practice

In a season of frustration for the Denver Broncos received the best possible news for their team in defense and more in particular the secondary.

Su’a Cravens has been cleared to practice and the expectation — at least on his end — is that he will play against the Houston Texans.

The Broncos acquired Cravens in a trade this offseason from the Washington Redskins and didn’t get to see him most of training camp with a knee injury. He finally made his debut in week four of the preseason before going on injured reserve.

He tweeted out the latest update on his health on Monday.

https://twitter.com/iammsuzy/status/1051875310717812736?s=21

The defensive back dealt with a surprising knee injury that lingered to the point of placing him on injured reserve. There was an expectation for him to return in week eight. By all accounts, Cravens is on schedule. The Broncos, as he states, play the Texans in week eight.

That’s some impressive future thinking by the Broncos medical staff.

Cravens is an athletic freak of a safety capable of playing numerous positions. One of the most glaring needs for the Broncos’ secondary and linebackers is covering tight ends. Cravens is more than qualified to fill that role. The time off to heal does beg the question of how rusty he might be, but with how hard he played in the fourth preseason game, Cravens should have no issues.

Quickness and response to a running back or wide receiver is something this defense has not seen in a while. Cravens’ capacity to maximize his talent on the field will benefit the Broncos in a time when they need that boost.

The Denver Broncos’ secondary was better against the Los Angeles Rams than it has been much of the season. However, during the midway point of the season, the team needs to answer the question of who will be the third corner.

Cravens is a safety, but played linebacker and even cornerback. Like Chris Harris Jr., he is a Swiss Army knife player in every sense of the word. His talent can make up for plenty of deficiencies because of the athlete he is.

As stated above, the speed, quickness and awareness can help the Broncos right away.

We do not know the extent of playing time there will be for Cravens. My guess is it depends on the result in practice. If Cravens appears ready for a full go of preparation and understanding of the playbook, then he will be a key contributor against the Texans. On the other hand, we will not know that till he officially hits the practice field.

This is cause for celebration, Broncos Country. The defense just got better.