The Denver Broncos have become known for abnormally clean injury reports late in the season since Sean Payton took over as the team's head coach, and they're already getting some amazing news ahead of their matchup against the Green Bay Packers in Week 15.
The Broncos welcomed a trio of players back to the practice field on Wednesday, including starting left guard Ben Powers, who has been out with a biceps injury he suffered back in Week 5.
Powers has missed a significant chunk of the season, but his return to the practice field on Wednesday means he's on schedule with his initial timeline of a mid-December return to action.
Broncos may be getting Ben Powers, DJ Jones back from injury in Week 15
#Broncos WR Pat Bryant went to the side field during media viewing portion.
— Cody Roark (@CodyRoarkNFL) December 10, 2025
D.J. Jones, Ben Powers, and Nate Adkins were on the team field today. Participation status drops soon. pic.twitter.com/2lc3sWqSml
This is great news all around for the Broncos, but the return of Ben Powers is a major headline just because of how much time he's missed this season (8 games). Prior to their game against the Las Vegas Raiders, where they ran for 152 yards as a team, the Broncos were averaging 36 fewer yards on the ground per game with Powers out of the lineup.
Even with a larger sample size to work with, that's a substantial difference, and proof of the impact Powers is able to make.
On the other side of the line of scrimmage, the Broncos have been without DJ Jones since he went down in the Commanders game with an ankle injury. Even without him against the Raiders, they were able to execute in their run defense plan and keep the Raiders' offense one-dimensional.
Jones's return to the field would be huge for the Broncos' deep defensive line rotation, especially against the Packers where getting pressure with the front four is going to be critical.
Flipping back to the offense, the return of Nate Adkins is also a big bit of news for the Broncos' offense. Adkins has missed considerable time this year with knee injuries, but he's a critical part of the offense when he's on the field.
In his absence, the Broncos have been utilizing tight end Marcedes Lewis in a blocking role as well as fullback Adam Prentice. Prentice has had a great year for the Broncos and busted off a rather explosive 18-yard run against the Raiders, the longest run he's had since his high school playing days.
Every team gets bitten by the injury bug at some point, but the Broncos have done a tremendous job of managing soft tissue injuries and keeping guys on the field as much as possible. This is more great news for an epic matchup that is about to take place in Denver on Sunday afternoon.