The Denver Broncos have enjoyed some amazing roster health since the start of the 2023 season, and their Friday injury report is looking nice. There was definitely some worry earlier in the week about a handful of players who did not practice or were limited, but Denver seems to know exactly what they're doing when it comes to player recovery:
Friday's #DENvsTB injury report:
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 20, 2024
📰 » https://t.co/Cm4rykqGQr pic.twitter.com/xHMw5rNp2f
The Wednesday injury report was scary at first, but by the time Friday rolled around, all but two players had injury designations. The team will be without right tackle Mike McGlinchey for at least a month, and he's on injured reserve, so that's why you do not see him on the report. However, only Baron Browning and JL Skinner won't be suiting up on Sunday for the team.
All of John Franklin-Myers, Brandon Jones, Zach Allen, Greg Dulcich, Josh Reynolds, Adam Trautman, and Devaughn Vele were all limited or DNP at some point during the week. While the Broncos are already at a disadvantage coming into this game, having all but two of their players on the injury report suit up is great news.
The biggest worry for me is not having McGlinchey out there, as backup tackle Alex Palczewski is getting the start. This is his second year in the NFL, but Denver clearly seems something in the undrafted player from Illinois. Denver needs to get something going, and fast. Them starting 0-3 would feel like a death sentence.
The team started in 1-5 in the 2023 NFL Season and still managed to finish with eight wins. Denver finished last year winning seven of their final 11 games. For some reason, Sean Payton-coached teams typically start out pretty slow before turning it on as the season progresses. This is why getting to 1-2 feels so important here.
It would set the stage for Denver to again play spoiler in Week 4 against the New York Jets. I'm not sure this year was ever going to be a playoff season for the Broncos in any scenario, but most of us seemed to expect a bit more from the offense over the first two weeks. One thing is clear, though; the defense is playing out of their minds, and that unit seems to be trending upward.
If the offense can get their legs under them in the coming weeks, Denver may end up playing better football than we think. Can they begin that quest in Week 3?