Tag: Damarri Mathis

Broncos’ depth chart for ‘TNF’ clash with Chargers

Levi Wallace is still listed above Damarri Mathis and Kris Abrams-Draine on the Broncos’ “unofficial” depth chart.

The Denver Broncos are set to face the Los Angeles Chargers in a Thursday Night Football showdown in Week 16.

The Broncos did not make any official changes to their published depth chart this week, but Damarri Mathis and Kris Abrams-Draine have clearly jumped Levi Wallace, who was a healthy scratch on Sunday. Wallace is still listed above them on the depth chart, though.

With that caveat in mind, here’s a look at Denver calls the “unofficial” depth chart going into Thursday’s game.

Broncos offensive depth chart

WR Marvin Mims Troy Franklin
LT Garett Bolles Matt Peart
LG Ben Powers
C Luke Wattenberg Alex Forsyth
RG Quinn Meinerz Alex Palczewski
RT Mike McGlinchey Frank Crum
TE Adam Trautman Lucas Krull
WR Courtland Sutton Lil’Jordan Humphrey Devaughn Vele
RB Javonte Williams Jaleel McLaughlin Audric Estime Blake Watson
FB Michael Burton Nate Adkins
QB Bo Nix Jarrett Stidham Zach Wilson

Broncos defensive depth chart

DE Zach Allen Jordan Jackson
NT D.J. Jones Malcolm Roach
DE John Franklin-Myers Eyioma Uwazurike Matt Henningsen
SLB Jonathon Cooper Jonah Elliss Drew Sanders
WLB Nik Bonitto Dondrea Tillman
ILB Justin Strnad Zach Cunningham
ILB Cody Barton Levelle Bailey
LCB Pat Surtain Levi Wallace Tremon Smith
RCB Riley Moss Damarri Mathis Kris Abrams-Draine
NCB Ja’Quan McMillian
S P.J. Locke JL Skinner
S Brandon Jones Devon Key

Broncos special teams depth chart

PK Wil Lutz
KO Wil Lutz
P Riley Dixon
H Riley Dixon
LS Mitchell Fraboni
KR Marvin Mims Tremon Smith Jaleel McLaughlin
PR Marvin Mims Tremon Smith

Thursday’s game will be available to stream on Prime. The Broncos are one win away from clinching a spot in the 2024 NFL playoffs.

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Broncos CB Kris Abrams-Draine is ‘built for moments like this’

“He’s built for moments like this,” Broncos star cornerback Pat Surtain said of impressive rookie Kris Abrams-Draine.

The Denver Broncos seem to have done it again.

Three years ago, the Broncos used a first-round draft pick to select cornerback Pat Surtain. All-Pro.

Two years ago, Denver signed Ja’Quan McMillian as an undrafted free agent. Impressive slot cornerback.

Last year, the Broncos used a third-round pick to select Riley Moss. Pro Bowl-talent.

This year, Denver used a fifth-round pick to add Kris Abrams-Draine. So far so good.

With Moss (knee) sidelined, Abrams-Draine made his NFL debut in Week 13, then he saw extensive action in Week 15 coming out of the bye. He allowed just one catch for 11 yards in 34 coverage snaps on Sunday, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

“The last two weeks, he showed some moxie, stayed with his guys, didn’t panic when the ball was in the air,” coach Sean Payton said this week. “There’s something about him and so … I was really encouraged.”

Abrams-Draine rotated with Damarri Mathis, who also played well on Sunday. Mathis has had an up-and-down tenure in Denver and he has one year left on his contract, so it’s no surprise that fans have focused on Abrams-Draine over the last two weeks.

“He’s developing very well,” Surtain said when asked about Abrams-Draine last week. “He’s learning fast. He’s played a good amount of ball — a great amount of ball actually in the SEC. He’s built for moments like this. To see him out there with those few snaps, I think he did pretty good.”

The 23-year-old defensive back appears to have a bright future ahead of him, and the Broncos might just have the best cornerback room in the NFL.

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NFL trade deadline: Tracking Broncos news and rumors

Today is the NFL trade deadline. We will be tracking Broncos news and rumors on this page.

Story update: The NFL’s trade deadline has passed and the only move the Broncos made was trading pass rusher Baron Browning to the Cardinals. See our original post below.

The 2024 NFL trade deadline is 2:00 p.m. MT today (Tuesday, Nov. 5). We will be tracking any potential moves the Denver Broncos make on this page.

Latest Broncos trade news

  • Denver agreed to trade outside linebacker Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick on Monday.
  • ESPN has reported that more moves could be on the way.
  • The Broncos have received trade interest in wide receiver Courtland Sutton in the past, but GM George Paton seems unlikely to trade away rookie quarterback Bo Nix’s favorirte target.

Potential Broncos trade candidates

  1. QB Jarrett Stidham
  2. QB Zach Wilson
  3. CB Damarri Mathis
  4. TE Greg Dulcich
  5. WR Courtland Sutton

Potential trade targets to watch

  1. TE David Njoku
  2. TE Evan Engram
  3. TE Taysom Hill
  4. WR Tee Higgins
  5. WR Christian Kirk

Players Broncos aren’t expected to trade

  1. DL D.J. Jones

Check back leading up to the NFL trade deadline as this page will be updated if the Broncos make any moves today.

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Predicting 14 roster moves Broncos could make in second half of season

The Broncos have seven players who could be returning to the 53-man roster soon. Here’s how they could make room for them.

The Denver Broncos could be getting a flurry of reinforcements in the coming weeks.

Broncos wide receiver Josh Reynolds (hand) and center Luke Wattenberg (ankle) are now eligible to return from injured reserve, safety Delarrin Turner-Yell (ACL) returned to practice last week and linebacker Drew Sanders (Achilles) is “close to returning.” His timeline is uncertain, but running back Tyler Badie (back) is also eligible to return from IR.

Meanwhile, linebacker Kwon Alexander is out of practice squad elevations and coach Sean Payton hinted last week that Alexander will eventually end up on the 53-man roster. Denver also bumped fullback Michael Burton down to the practice squad last week. Burton can be elevated one more time. After that, he will likely be a candidate to return to the active roster as well.

Reynolds, Alexander and Wattenberg are presumably candidates to all return to the 53-man roster this week. Sanders, Burton, Turner-Yell and Badie might also return at some point in the future.

The Broncos don’t have to make room for all of them right away — new injuries could open spots in the coming weeks — but the team will have to make some roster decisions, soon.

Denver opened up one spot by trading outside linebacker Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday. The Broncos could open another spot by bumping offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton down to the practice squad.

Denver could open three more spots if they traded tight end Greg Dulcich, cornerback Damarri Mathis and quarterback Zach Wilson ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. If they aren’t traded, Dulcich and Mathis might be candidates to attempt to get down to the practice squad. And given Payton’s recent frustrations with the team’s receivers, even Lil’Jordan Humphrey could be in danger of losing his spot on the active roster.

So with as many as seven players potentially returning to the active roster in the second half of the season, here are predictions on how the Broncos could make room for them. Keep in mind that these are projections — this is not a report of what the team will do. Rather, it’s a projection of what the team could do.

  1. WR Josh Reynolds activated from IR
  2. OLB Baron Browning traded (confirmed)
  3. C Luke Wattenberg activated from IR
  4. OL Calvin Throckmorton cut from 53
  5. LB Kwon Alexander promoted to 53
  6. TE Greg Dulcich traded or cut
  7. LB Drew Sanders activated from PUP
  8. CB Damarri Mathis traded or cut
  9. FB Michael Burton activated to 53
  10. QB Zach Wilson traded
  11. DB Delarrin Turner-Yell activated from IR
  12. WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey demoted to PS
  13. RB Tyler Badie activated from IR
  14. Future player placed on IR

Denver seems likely to make at least a few moves this week. Stay tuned.

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More trades could be on the way for Broncos

Zach Wilson? Greg Dulcich? Courtland Sutton??? ESPN suggests the Broncos might not be done making trades.

The Denver Broncos took action ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline by agreeing to trade pass rusher Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick.

That was the team’s first move, but it might not be the last.

Following the news of the Browning trade, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler took to Twitter/X and re-shared his trade deadline story from last week that outlined potential moves for the Broncos, who Fowler says “might not be done” after the Browning trade.

Last week, Fowler noted the possibility of a Browning trade (which has since happened) and he also mentioned quarterback Zach Wilson and tight end Greg Dulcich as potential trade candidates. Fowler also pointed out that teams have called out wide receiver Courtland Sutton in past years.

Additionally, Fowler wrote that “it wouldn’t be a shock” to see the Broncos attempt to trade for a pass-catching running back ahead of the deadline.

Stay tuned as the trade deadline is now just one day away. We will track any potential moves Denver makes on Broncos Wire.

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9 players did not play in Broncos’ loss to Ravens

The Broncos held out nine players from Sunday’s game against the Ravens.

Nine members of the 53-man roster did not play in the Denver Broncos‘ 41-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon.

Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson*, safety P.J. Locke (thumb), cornerback Damarri Mathis, defensive back Kris Abrams-Draine, offensive tackle Frank Crum, tight end Greg Dulcich and outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman were inactive in Week 9.

*Wilson was inactive but still dressed as an emergency third quarterback.

Jarrett Stidham, Denver’s primary backup quarterback, also did not play as Bo Nix took every snap on offense. Backup offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton was also an unused substitute, giving the Broncos nine players who did not see the field in Baltimore.

Broncos who did not play in Week 9

  1. QB Zach Wilson (emergency third QB)
  2. DB P.J. Locke (thumb)
  3. CB Damarri Mathis
  4. CB Kris Abrams-Draine
  5. OT Frank Crum
  6. TE Greg Dulcich
  7. OLB Dondrea Tillman
  8. QB Jarrett Stidham (active)
  9. OL Calvin Throckmorton (active)

Devon Key filled in for Locke at safety. We’ll see if Locke is able to return in time for the team’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs next week.

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8 players Broncos could trade away before NFL trade deadline

Should the Broncos consider trading any of these players before the NFL’s deadline?

The NFL trade deadline (Nov. 5) is less than a week away and with multiple trades already completed, there have been some rumblings that the Denver Broncos could get involved in the action.

We have been focused on several outside players the Broncos could bring in, but today we’re turning our attention to players that Denver could ship out.

We’ve put together a quick list of eight players the Broncos could entertain trading away before the deadline.

Of note, NFL Network has reported that teams could call about pass rusher Jonathon Cooper, but the Broncos seem very unlikely to trade him, so we did not include Cooper on our list.

Players Broncos could trade before deadline

1. RB Javonte Williams: He is the team’s best blocking back and Audric Estime has had some struggles with fumbles, so Denver might not be ready to move on from Williams just yet. He’s set to become a free agent next year, though, so the Broncos could perhaps send him to a team like the Cowboys in exchange for a draft pick.

2. OT Mike McGlinchey: His contract could complicate a potential trade, but McGlinchey has suddenly become expendable following the emergency of Alex Palczewski. Denver might prefer to make this kind of move during the offseason, though.

3. DL D.J. Jones: With Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers playing so well and Malcolm Roach rotating in, the Broncos might thinking about trading Jones before he hits free agency in 2025.

4. WR Courtland Sutton: He is Bo Nix’s favorite target, but Denver has received plenty of interest in Sutton over the last two seasons. We’ll see if teams call the Broncos about Sutton again before this year’s deadline.

5. CB Damarri Mathis: Pat Surtain, Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian serve as the team’s top three cornerbacks with Levi Wallace providing depth behind them. Tremon Smith is a special teams ace and Kris Abrams-Draine is a fifth-round draft pick who isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. That could leave Mathis as the odd man out.

6. QB Zach Wilson: The Broncos have repeatedly said that they believe Wilson will become a starter again in the NFL. In order for that to happen, Wilson might need a fresh start somewhere else.

7. QB Jarrett Stidham: Denver obviously wouldn’t trade both Wilson and Stidham, but they could certainly move one of them. Broncos coach Sean Payton seemed to hint that week that at least one team has called about the availability of Denver’s backup quarterbacks.

8. OLB Baron Browning: He is probably the Broncos’ most realistic trade candidate this year. Nik Bonitto (6.0) and Cooper (5.5) lead the team in sacks this fall and youngsters Jonah Elliss (2.0) and Dondrea Tillman (2.0) have also made their mark as rotational pass rushers. Denver has a surplus of pass rushers and Browning is scheduled to hit free agency next spring.

If the team makes any trades in the coming days, we will track all of the potential moves on Broncos Wire.

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Broncos now have 7 players on injured reserve or PUP list

Going into Week 8, the Broncos have 5 players on injured reserve and 2 players on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.

After activating three players from injured reserve last week, the Denver Broncos still have seven players on IR or physically unable to perform lists going into week 8. Five of those players will be eligible to return later this season.

Broncos running back Tyler Badie (back) will be eligible to return in Week 9, and center Luke Wattenberg (ankle) and wide receiver Josh Reynolds (hand) can return in Week 10.

Denver linebacker Drew Sanders (Achilles) and safety Delarrin Turner-Yell (ACL) have been eligible to return from the PUP list since Week 5, but they apparently still need more time to recover.

Broncos eligible to return from IR/PUP

  1. LB Drew Sanders: Eligible to return since Week 5
  2. DB Delarrin Turner-Yell: Eligible to return since Week 5
  3. RB Tyler Badie: Eligible to return Week 9
  4. WR Josh Reynolds: Eligible to return Week 10
  5. C Luke Wattenberg: Eligible to return Week 10

The Broncos also have two players — linebacker Alex Singleton (ACL) and offensive lineman Quinn Bailey (ankle) — who are on season-ending IR.

Broncos on season-ending injured reserve

  1. LB Alex Singleton: Out for season
  2. OL Quinn Bailey: Out for season

If healthy, Badie could return after Denver hosts the Carolina Panthers next Sunday.

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Broncos release Wednesday injury report ahead of ‘TNF’

Broncos star CB Pat Surtain (concussion) has been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Saints.

The Denver Broncos have released their final injury report ahead of their Thursday Night Football clash with the New Orleans Saints in Week 7.

Broncos right tackle Alex Palczewski (ankle) and cornerback Pat Surtain (concussion) have both been ruled out. Right tackle Mike McGlinchey (MCL) is eligible to return from IR this week, so he might return in time to take his old spot from Palczewski.

Ja’Quan McMillian is expected to play across from Riley Moss at cornerback with Levi Wallace playing in the slot.

McGlinchey, outside linebacker Baron Browning (foot) and cornerback Damarri Mathis (ankle) are listed as questionable. They would need to be activated from IR in order to play on Thursday.

View the Broncos’ complete injury report below. Note that Denver did not practice on Monday, but the team released an estimated practice report. DNP = did not participate.

Player Injury Mon (estimate) Tue Wed (walkthrough) Game Status
CB Damarri Mathis Ankle Full Full Full Questionable
LB Justin Strnad Ribs Full Full Full
CB Ja’Quan McMillian Ankle Limited Full Full
CB Riley Moss Hip Limited Full Full
OT Alex Palczewski Ankle Limited Limited DNP Out
CB Pat Surtain Concussion DNP DNP DNP Out
OT Mike McGlinchey Knee Not listed Limited Full Questionable
OLB Baron Browning Foot Not listed Limited Full Questionable

Meanwhile, New Orleans has ruled out wide receivers Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (meniscus).

The Broncos are considered underdogs against the Saints this week.

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Broncos release Tuesday injury report ahead of ‘TNF’

Broncos CB Pat Surtain (concussion) did not practice on Tuesday and he seems unlikely to play on Thursday.

The Denver Broncos practiced on Tuesday for the first time this week ahead of their Thursday Night Football clash with the New Orleans Saints in Week 7.

Broncos right tackle Alex Palczewski (ankle) practiced on a limited basis, giving him an uncertain status for Thursday. Denver cornerback Pat Surtain (concussion) seems unlikely to play on Thursday after being the only player to not participate in Tuesday’s practice.

View the Broncos’ complete Tuesday injury report below. Note that Denver did not practice on Monday, but the team released an estimated practice report. DNP = did not participate.

Player Injury Mon (estimate) Tue Wed Game Status
CB Damarri Mathis Ankle Full Full
LB Justin Strnad Ribs Full Full
CB Ja’Quan McMillian Ankle Limited Full
CB Riley Moss Hip Limited Full
OT Alex Palczewski Ankle Limited Limited
CB Pat Surtain Concussion DNP DNP
OT Mike McGlinchey Knee Not listed Limited
OLB Baron Browning Foot Not listed Limited

The Broncos also opened the 21-day window for right tackle Mike McGlinchey (MCL) and outside linebacker Baron Browning (foot) to return from injured reserve on Tuesday. Denver cornerback Damarri Mathis (ankle) is also eligible to return from IR this week.

Denver will hold another light practice on Wednesday before releasing a final injury report with game statuses for Thursday’s game in New Orleans.

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