Key Broncos defender carted off the field against Raiders

Caden Sterns went down in the second quarter of the Week 1 contest with the Broncos trailing 7-6 at the time. The scene did not look good and required him to be taken off the field on a cart. While that is not a guaranteed sign of a devastating injury, it sure is ominous.

Sterns did seem to be pretty emotional as he left the field and that is also not a good sign.

It's the latest blow for a Broncos team that can't seem to find a good stroke of luck in the injury department. Wide receiver Tim Patrick has already been lost for the season and the team is without Jerry Jeudy against the Raiders as he recovers from a hamstring injury.

The Broncos dealt with major injuries last season as well and haven't seemed to be at 100 percent strength in years.

Sterns is in his third year with the Broncos, who took him in the fifth round of the 2021 draft. He has four interceptions in his career but has never been a full-time starter. That was expected to change this year but the team also re-signed veteran Kareem Jackson for added insurance.

That looks like a good move right now. Sterns played in only five games last season while dealing with an injury and worked very hard to get back and be in the best shape possible this year. This is incredibly difficult news for this team right now.

If Sterns is out for an extended period of time, Jackson will be back in the starting role and the team will have to turn to young players Delarrin-Turner Yell and JL Skinner unless they look for a veteran that might be out there. The team also has Devon Key on the practice squad, but injuries to key players this early in the season are something this Broncos team can ill-afford.

We will wait for updates on the severity of Sterns' injury but he will not be returning in this game.