Published on: August 24, 2023 at 07:38.
Last updated on August 25, 2023 at 09:33.
Denver Broncos winger Jerry Jeudy suffered a back knee injury during training with the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday. Jeudy is the Broncos’ fifth wide receiver to be injured in the preseason.
The Broncos’ top wide receiver, Jeudy, fell to the ground with a non-contact injury during his running game. Off the field he needed help with a medical car.
The Broncos hinted that Jeudy could miss a few weeks’ games to coincide with the start of the regular season. Healing of posterior knee injuries in large recipients takes four to six weeks, depending on the severity of the strain.
Typically we bring buyers in and out in our system.” said head coach Sean Payton. “But Jerry plays slot position Z for us. We have a lot of men. I hope it’s not something too long-term.”
Jeudy caught 67 passes and six touchdowns for 972 yards in 15 games last season. He missed three games in 2022 due to a high ankle sprain.
Another Week, Another WR Injury
Bad luck continues with the Broncos. In the first week of training camp, veteran winger Tim Patrick tore his Achilles during 7v7 practice. This was a devastating loss for Patrick, who missed the entire 2022 season while he was recovering from a tear in his anterior cruciate ligament.
KJ Hamler also announced that he had to leave the team after being diagnosed with a heart condition known as pericarditis. Hamler is expected to return to the Broncos after getting the new heart drug right.
Appalachian State’s second-year wide receiver, Jalen Virgil, suffered a knee injury in a friendly game against the San Francisco 49ers last weekend. The Broncos placed Virgil in injured reserve with a meniscus tear.
Despite all the injuries to wide receivers this season and the past few seasons, Payton doesn’t think the Broncos are sinister.
I don’t believe in being bitten by a snake” Payton told Athletic.
Johnson, a second-year wide receiver at UCF, has missed the last few weeks due to a leg injury. The Broncos received some positive news when Johnson returned to the team this week.
Rookie Mims Have a Chance to Advance
Without Jeudy in the starting line-up, Courtland Sutton was placed in WR #1 on the Broncos depth chart.
Rookie Marvin Mims Jr. has started getting reps in the top five in the past few days of practice. Mims selected from Oklahoma in the second round may be promoted to the WR #2 role by default.
Mims is making progress” said Payton. “It’s going well. It’s a good thing he’s getting all those training photos and postage returns.”
The Broncos’ current roster also includes Johnson, Kendall Hinton, Marquez Callaway and Lil’Jordan Humphrey. At the start of boot camp, only a few seemed to be able to make the final cut. But all of them could have made it into the team that had suffered so many injuries.
Callaway and Humphrey played for Payton when he was head coach of the New Orleans Saints before Payton resigned at the end of the 2021 season. Callaway scored six goals in 17 games for the Saints in 2021. Jordan scored twice in 10 games with the Saints in 2021.
With Jeudy expected to miss the start of the season, fantasy football owners should take a second look at Mims and other rookie wide receivers in the upcoming drafts.
The Outlook of the Broncos in the Futures Market
The Broncos only won five games in quarterback Russell Wilson’s first season in Denver. The outlook is a little brighter going into this season, but bookies are still wary of the Broncos overall. The addition of Payton as the new head coach is a step in the right direction. The jury is still out on Wilson, who struggled with multiple injuries, including concussion, last season.
The Broncos have a total of 8.5 over/under wins. The score remained unchanged despite Jeudy’s injury and the Broncos losing a few wide receivers.
+550 chance for the Broncos to win AFC West as the third highest favorite on the list. The Kansas City Chiefs are the reigning Super Bowl champions and are the league’s consensus top team after winning seven consecutive AFC West titles. The Chiefs’ chance to defend the league crown is -165. Los Angeles Chargers are their closest rivals in the league with +340.
The Broncos have a +4500 chance of winning Super Bowl LVIII and a +3000 chance of winning the AFC Championship.
According to DraftKings’ “Win the Playoffs” bet, the Broncos are a light favorite, missing the postseason with odds of -215. You can support the Broncos with +180 odds to stay in the playoffs.
