Broncos initial injury report is cause for slight concern with Bo Nix

The Denver Broncos weren't required to release an injury report on Wednesday, so they gave the fan base an unwelcome Thanksgiving Day surprise by releasing an injury report on Thursday. And spoiler alert: The injury report includes rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

Nix is listed on the injury report as "LIMITED" with a back injury designation, and this isn't altogether surprising if you were paying close attention to the television broadcast in Sunday's win against the Las Vegas Raiders. At one point during the game, Nix was spotted on the sideline wrapping his lower back.

This news comes on the heels of Nix being named Pepsi Offensive Rookie of the Week for the third straight week, an accomplishment that hasn't been done before in Broncos history.

Broncos Thursday injury report includes Bo Nix, Zach Allen, Riley Moss

This is likely just a situation where the Broncos have to report any and all injuries like this and Nix was literally spotted on the sideline getting treatment with his back. There's absolutely no question at this point that Nix will play against the Cleveland Browns as he's already been featured in practice photos by the team.

Breathe a sigh of relief, Broncos fans. Nix is going to be okay.

But this injury designation and seeing Nix get treatment on his back during the Raiders game is undoubtedly a slight cause for concern, at the very least. We have not seen Nix running the ball as much these last handful of weeks, and you can't help but wonder if this is a major reason why. Still, despite the fact that he hasn't been using his legs quite as much, Nix has been dominating through the air more than any other point this season.

The Cleveland Browns are certainly capable of getting after the quarterback and the Broncos need to make sure Nix is getting hit as little as possible at this point. It's going to be even more important for the Broncos' ground game to get going this week after a rough go of things against the Raiders. The Raiders were sending pressure from all angles and the Broncos struggled to find consistent success in that area.

Considering they ran the ball fairly well against the Falcons, perhaps a bounce-back game is due for Denver's offense.

Nix has been putting the team on his back, pun fully intended. He's really started to hit his stride as a player overall and is elevating the guys around him. But popping up on the injury report late in the season will have you biting your nails a little bit as a fan of the team.

For the time being, it doesn't seem like it's anything to worry about at all. We'll start to get concerned if there are any reports of Jarrett Stidham taking 1st-team reps at practice at any point.