With the Denver Broncos preparing for Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team got some potentially disturbing news during practice on Friday.
Courtland Sutton suffered a sprained ankle during practice and is now being listed as questionable for the game. Though the expectation seems to be that he will play, the question of how effective he will be or how vulnerable he is to aggravate it further are certainly in play.
The Broncos have been troubled at the wide receiver position all season. It was a bit surprising to see the team keep only five on the 53-man roster to start the season with and though they kept a few on the practice squad, those players are always available to be swiped by other teams.
Jerry Jeudy went down in the season opener and K.J. Hamler was lost for the season in Week 3. If Sutton is unable to go, Tim Patrick would be the only one of the team’s top four wide receivers available.
That’s a problem.
It would mean an increased role for David Moore and Kendall Hinton and the team would also likely bring up either Tyrie Cleveland or Seth Williams from the practice squad.
Sutton will likely push himself to play against the Steelers as he missed most all of last season and the team is starting to become decimated by injuries. The Broncos still don’t know who will start the game at quarterback, but it does seem that Teddy Bridgewater is trending in the right direction.
Injuries have left wide receiving corps thin
The Broncos have a good receiving corps when all players are healthy, but that has proven difficult. As a result, the team may need to consider adding another proven commodity before the league’s trade deadline.
If Sutton does play and further aggravates the sprained ankle, the team could find itself in dire straights at the wide receiver spot before the year is over. That is why they have added players like Moore and Josh Malone, players with some in-game experience, to the practice squad, rather than signing developmental prospects.
This will be a situation to monitor, even if Sutton suits up and plays.