Category: Broncos Buzz

Broncos kicker Wil Lutz wins weekly award

This was Wil Lutz’s second time winning the award in 2024.

After the Denver Broncos‘ win over the Las Vegas Raiders, kicker Wil Lutz earned another personal accolade of his own.

Lutz was awarded AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after going 5-for-5 on field goals and 2-for-2 on extra points. Lutz’s 17 points proved the critical difference in the Broncos’ 29-19 win over the Raiders. Lutz made field goals of 33, 38, 45, 53 and 54 yards in the win.

Week 12 was the second time Lutz won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in 2024. Lutz also won the award after Denver’s Week 3 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In 2024, Lutz has been exceptional for the Broncos. Lutz has made 24-of-27 field goals (88.9%) and a perfect 26-of-26 on extra points in 2024. After being traded to Denver in 2023, Lutz has been 54-of-61 on field goals and 55-of-57 on extra points.

There are five games left for Lutz to improve on those numbers before the season ends. Up next is a Monday Night Football showdown with the Cleveland Browns in Week 13.

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Recapping the 5 roster moves Broncos made this week

Greg Dulcich out, Drew Sanders back, Zach Cunningham up and Calvin Throckmorton down. The Broncos have been busy with roster moves.

The Denver Broncos have been busy with transactions this week.

The moves started on Monday when the Broncos waived tight end Greg Dulcich, who was picked up by the New York Giants one day later.

To fill Dulcich’s old spot on the 53-man roster, Denver activated linebacker Drew Sanders (Achilles) from the physically unable to perform list. Sanders is now back on the active roster.

The cuts continued on Tuesday when the Broncos waived offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton. That move was made to make room for linebacker Zach Cunningham to be promoted from the practice squad on Wednesday.

Throckmorton cleared waivers on Wednesday and he is now set to re-sign with the team’s practice squad.

Now the team will have to make a decision on wide receiver Josh Reynolds (finger). If he is not activated from injured reserve before Dec. 4, Reynolds will spend the rest of the season on IR.

Broncos roster moves this week

  1. TE Greg Dulcich cut from 53-man roster
  2. LB Drew Sanders activated from PUP list
  3. OL Calvin Throckmorton cut from 53-man roster
  4. LB Zach Cunningham promoted to 53-man roster
  5. OL Calvin Throckmorton signed to practice squad

Denver is preparing to host the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 13. That game will be nationally televised on ESPN.

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Broncos sign linebacker to 53-man roster

The Broncos promoted LB Zach Cunningham from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Wednesday.

After waiving offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton from the 53-man roster on Tuesday, the Denver Broncos filled his former spot on the active roster on Wednesday.

The Broncos have promoted linebacker Zach Cunningham from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, the team announced. Throckmorton, meanwhile, cleared waivers on Wednesday and he is set to re-sign with the practice squad officially on Thursday.

Throckmorton and Cunningham have essentially swapped places on the active roster and practice squad this week. Cunningham was out of practice squad elevations, as was fellow inside linebacker Kwon Alexander.

Denver’s active roster is now full, which presumably means wide receiver Josh Reynolds (finger) will not be activated from injured reserve this week. The Broncos have to make a decision on Reynolds before Dec. 4. If he is not activated to the 53-man roster before that deadline, Reynolds will spend the rest of the season on injured reserve.

Speaking of injuries, Denver was not required to release an injury report on Wednesday because the team plays on Monday in Week 13. Broncos coach Sean Payton declined to provide an injury update after Wednesday’s practice, so there’s no word yet on the statuses of cornerback Riley Moss and defensive lineman Zach Allen.

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Broncos bringing back Calvin Throckmorton after cutting him

After clearing waivers, offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton is returning to the Broncos on the practice squad.

After being cut by the Denver Broncos on Tuesday, offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton cleared waivers on Wednesday and he is now returning on the practice squad, according to multiple reports.

Throckmorton (6-5, 311 pounds) was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster on Nov. 1 after starting center Luke Wattenberg went down with an ankle injury. Throckmorton had been serving as backup swing center/guard, but the team needed to open up roster spots with injured players returning this week.

Broncos linebacker Drew Sanders (Achilles) returned from the physically unable to perform list on Tuesday, and wide receiver Josh Reynolds (finger) is also eligible to return from injured reserve this week.

Additionally, Denver is out of practice squad elevations for linebackers Kwon Alexander and Zach Cunningham, so one of them could be promoted to the 53-man roster at some point, perhaps as early as this week.

The Broncos are preparing to host the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 13. That game will be nationally televised on ESPN.

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Giants expected to make quarterback change for Thanksgiving game

The Giants are expected to start ex-Broncos QB Drew Lock on Thanksgiving after losing Tommy DeVito to a forearm injury.

The New York Giants are expected to have a new starting quarterback when they face the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving.

After benching and then cutting Daniel Jones last week, the Giants surprisingly named Tommy DeVito their starter. That was an unexpected move because Drew Lock had served as the team’s No. 2 quarterback behind Jones up until Jones was benched. (Jones, meanwhile, has landed with the Minnesota Vikings.)

Lock now appears to be set to start against the Cowboys after DeVito suffered a forearm injury. DeVito did not practice on Wednesday and he is not flying with the team to Dallas, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

That presumably means Lock will start on Thanksgiving Day.

Lock, 28, was picked by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft out of Missouri. He went 8-13 as a starter in Denver before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks as part of the Russell Wilson trade in 2022.

Lock served as Geno Smith’s backup from 2022-2023 and went 1-1 as a fill-in starter for two games last season. Thursday will mark his first start with the Giants and his first start in a regular-season game since Dec. 18 last year.

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Daniel Jones makes decision on next team after spurning Broncos’ rival

Daniel Jones won’t land in the AFC West. He has opted to join the Vikings after turning down interest from the Raiders.

Former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is signing with the Minnesota Vikings, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports first reported Wednesday.

Jones received offers from multiple teams after being cut by the Giants and he spurned interest from the Las Vegas Raiders, according to Schultz.

The Raiders were seeking more help at quarterback after losing Gardner Minshew to a season-ending shoulder injury against the Denver Broncos in Week 12.

Jones will now serve as a backup behind Sam Darnold in Minnesota. He will initially join the practice squad but is expected to be activated to the active roster after getting up to speed.

Darnold is scheduled to become a free agent in 2025 so it wouldn’t be surprising if Jones is a candidate to re-sign in the spring to serve as the Vikings’ veteran backup behind J.J. McCarthy next season.

McCarthy is sitting out his rookie season with a knee injury, but he is expected to be fully recovered in time for the 2025 campaign.

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Sean Payton pleased with Broncos’ safety play this season

“I like how we’re playing [at safety],” Broncos coach Sean Payton said.

Last year, the Denver Broncos went into the season with Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson as their starting safeties. Caden Sterns was listed as a co-starter with Jackson, but he suffered a torn patellar tendon in Week 1. That injury left P.J. Locke, Delarrin Turner-Yell and JL Skinner as the team’s backup safeties in 2023.

Simmons played at his typical Pro Bowl level in 2023, but Jackson served two suspensions and was eventually released. Locke ended up starting eight games as a fill-in starter last season.

After parting ways with Jackson late in the 2023 season and releasing Simmons this spring, Denver signed Brandon Jones during free agency. Jones has been starting across from Locke this year, and they have been a dynamic safety duo for the Broncos.

Jones has recorded 79 tackles, two interceptions, five pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery through 11 games.

“We’re better overall on the backend at that position than we were a year ago,” coach Sean Payton said of the safety positon. “We’ve played a few different guys back there, but I like how we’re playing. We’re communicating. Our guys on defense, Vance [Joseph] and Jim Leonhard and all those guys are doing a fantastic job. We’re definitely I would say further along, and it was a good performance by those guys [Sunday].”

Denver’s backup safeties behind Jones and Locke are Devon Key and Skinner. Payton clearly feels that the Jones-Locke-Key-Skinner combination is better than the Simmons-Jackson-Locke-Turner-Yell rotation from last year. (Jackson, as one might expect, disagreed with that assessment.)

Jones and Locke will look to build on their impressive campaign when the Broncos host the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 13.

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Unfortunately, there’s no ‘ManningCast’ scheduled for Broncos-Browns game

Unfortunately, there’s no ‘ManningCast’ scheduled for the Broncos-Browns ‘Monday Night Football’ game in Week 13.

The Denver Broncos are set to host the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 13. Unfortunately, Peyton and Eli Manning won’t be providing commentary for that matchup.

The 2024 ManningCast schedule includes 11 weeks of action this season, but the Broncos-Browns game did not make the lineup.

Instead, Denver hosting Cleveland will be broadcast on ESPN’s main channel, which is available to stream on fuboTV (try it free).

The ManningCast slate will resume next week when the Dallas Cowboys host the Cincinnati Bengals.

Peyton and Eli will welcome new guests on the program each week there is a ManningCast, and Bill Belichick will be featured on every episode this fall.

In addition to 10 weeks of regular-season action, Peyton and Eli will also provide commentary for a Wild Card game in January.

Check out the full schedule below.

ManningCast 2024 Schedule

NFL Week Date Game TV
1 Sept. 9 Jets @ 49ers ESPN2, ESPN+
2 Sept. 16 Falcons @ Eagles ESPN2
5 Oct. 7 Saints @ Chiefs ESPN2
6 Oct. 14 Bills @ Jets ESPN2
7 Oct. 21 Ravens @ Bucs ESPN2, ESPN+
8 Oct. 28 Giants @ Steelers ESPN2, ESPN+
9 Nov. 4 Bucs @ Chiefs ESPN2
11 Nov. 18 Texans @ Cowboys ESPN2
12 Nov. 25 Ravens @ Chargers ESPN2
14 Dec. 9 Bengals @ Cowboys ESPN2, ESPN+
Wild Card Jan. 13 TBD ESPN2, ESPN+

The ManningCast is televised on ESPN2. The primary MNF broadcast will continue to feature Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters on ESPN.

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Broncos will debut their new alternate uniform against the Browns

The Broncos will wear a navy jersey and white alternate helmet against the Browns on ‘Monday Night Football’ in Week 13.

Earlier this year, the Denver Broncos unveiled their new uniform set with four different jerseys: orange home, white away, orange throwback and blue alternate. The team also has a primary helmet, a throwback helmet and an alternate helmet design.

The Broncos will wear their new alternate navy jersey with their alternate white helmet for the first time when they host the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 13. This is what it looks like:

The blue jersey and white helmet are locked in. The team can choose between multiple pants and sock colors. Mario Vetanze has been leaking the team’s uniform combinations this season and he tweeted earlier this week hinting that players are leaning toward wearing blue pants and socks.

Denver will have a bye after the Browns game, then the team will wear orange against the Indianapolis Colts, and white against the Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals. The Broncos will close out the regular season at home wearing their beautiful throwback uniform against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18.

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All 32 NFL teams (including the Broncos) ranked by FPI ratings

Going into Week 13, the Broncos have a -1.1 Football Power Index (FPI) rating from ESPN, which ranks 23rd in the NFL. 

Twelve games into the season, the Denver Broncos (7-5) have a -1.1 Football Power Index (FPI) rating from ESPN, which ranks 23rd in the NFL.

The Cleveland Browns (3-8), who will visit Denver for a Monday Night Football showdown in Week 13, are ranked 21st with a -0.9 FPI rating.

FPI is “a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season,” according to ESPN.com. “FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.”

So with that background in mind, here’s a look at how the league’s 32 teams stack up based on FPI going into Week 13 of the 2024 NFL season.

  1. Detroit Lions (10-1): 9.0
  2. Baltimore Ravens (8-4): 6.6
  3. Buffalo Bills (9-2): 6.1
  4. Green Bay Packers (8-3): 5.7
  5. Philadelphia Eagles (9-2): 4.8
  6. Kansas City Chiefs (910-1): 4.6
  7. San Francisco 49ers (5-6): 3.0
  8. Minnesota Vikings (9-2): 2.8
  9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6): 2.2
  10. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3): 1.5
  11. Houston Texans (7-5): 1.2
  12. Arizona Cardinals (6-5): 0.9
  13. Washington Commanders (7-5): 0.5
  14. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3): 1.1
  15. Cincinnati Bengals (4-7): 0.4
  16. Miami Dolphins (5-6): 0.0
  17. Los Angeles Rams (5-6): -0.2
  18. New York Jets (3-8): -0.3
  19. Atlanta Falcons (6-5): -0.4
  20. New Orleans Saints (4-7): -0.6
  21. Cleveland Browns (3-8): -0.9
  22. Seattle Seahawks (6-5): -1.0
  23. Denver Broncos (7-5): -1.1
  24. Chicago Bears (4-7): -1.3
  25. Indianapolis Colts (5-7): -2.5
  26. Tennesee Titans (3-8): -4.9
  27. Las Vegas Raiders (2-9): -5.0
  28. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9): -5.9
  29. Carolina Panthers (3-8): -6.6
  30. New England Patriots (3-9): -7.7
  31. Dallas Cowboys (4-7): -8.2
  32. New York Giants (2-9): -8.5

The Broncos will aim to improve their rating when they take on the Browns in Week 13. Denver’s ranking is unchanged from last week.

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