Broncos unexpected injury was thankfully something they prepared for

There has understandably been a lot of focus lately on the injury status of linebacker Dre Greenlaw, one of the team's biggest offseason acquisitions who did not practice the entire week leading up to their Week 1 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. The status of Greenlaw, both now and going forward, is a major concern for Denver Broncos fans.

But that wasn't the only injury news the team had to deal with this week.

Defensive lineman Malcolm Roach, a non-starter but key player on the Denver defensive front, suffered a calf strain that will likely sideline him at least a month, possibly landing him on short-term injured reserve. It was an unexpected blow to the team's strongest position group, but something the Broncos were (overly) prepared for.

Broncos lose DL Malcolm Roach to calf injury before Week 1 matchup

While losing players to injury in practice is not something you want to happen frequently (or ever), the timing of this one is not all that bad for the Denver Broncos. Malcolm Roach is a tremendous player and was one of the most underrated players on Denver's defensive line last year, but the team decided to keep a whopping seven defensive linemen on the 53-man roster this year.

Two players who were seemingly competing for one spot -- Eyioma Uwazurike and Jordan Jackson -- ended up both getting spots after an offseason of competition. Both players showed well throughout camp and the preseason, and the Broncos didn't feel like they could live without either guy.

As it turns out, the decision to keep an abnormal amount of defensive linemen was fortuitous, because the Broncos will need one or both of those guys to step up now against the Titans.

Part of having a great defensive line in today's NFL is being able to bring players in waves. And not only that, but keeping your top guys as fresh as possible. Nose tackle DJ Jones, while capable of playing extended snaps if needed, only played 40 percent of the defensive snaps last year.

The Broncos might ask him to play more than 40 percent in light of Roach being hurt, but they also might be asking a player like Uwazurike to step up in that nose tackle role.

And interestingly enough, Jones himself had some great things to say about Uwazurike just before news of Roach's injury came through the wire:

It's an immediate test of the Broncos' depth in the middle of their defense to start the season, then. The Broncos will likely take on the Tennessee Titans without both Malcolm Roach and Dre Greenlaw, meaning players like Eyioma Uwazurike and Justin Strnad are going to be counted on to step up in a big way.