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Broncos CB Ja’Quan McMillian intercepts Panthers QB Bryce Young and Denver’s cruising.
Denver Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian intercepted a pass from Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game at Empower Field at Mile High.
Here’s video of the play, courtesy of the team’s official Twitter/X page:
WHAT AN INT 🤯
đź“ş: CBS | @Island2_1 pic.twitter.com/cCf25aBMBK
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 27, 2024
The Broncos currently lead the Panthers 28-7.
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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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The Saints will host the Broncos on ‘Thursday Night Football’ in Week 7. Here are five storylines to keep an eye on.
The Denver Broncos (3-3) will go on the road to face the New Orleans Saints (2-4) in Week 7 of the 2024 NFL season in a Thursday Night Football clash on Oct. 17. Going into the cross-conference matchup, here are five storylines to watch for.
1. Audric Estime’s role on offense: One day after saying he wanted to see Estime and rookie receivers Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin get opportunities on offense, coach Sean Payton backtracked and said it’s hard to get more than two running backs involved on offense. Perhaps both things can be true — Estime deserves more touches, but the Broncos don’t have enough touches for three running backs. After Javonte Williams lost a fumble and dropped a pass last week, the backfield rotation will be worth monitoring.
2. Ja’Quan McMillian at cornerback: Denver’s final injury report will be released later today and star cornerback Pat Surtain (concussion) seems unlikely to be available for TNF. McMillian has been an excellent slot cornerback for the Broncos, but his play was not quite as refined when he was asked to play on the outside following PS2’s injury on Sunday. McMillian and Riley Moss are expected to serve as the team’s outside cornerbacks in New Orleans with Levi Wallace in the slot.
3. Denver’s defense vs. Spencer Rattler: In his first NFL start last week, Rattler was sacked five times and threw two interceptions. The rookie quarterback completed 55% of his passes for 243 yards with one touchdown. He made a few plays with his legs, rushing four times for 27 yards. Vance Joseph’s blitz-heavy defense and elite secondary could give the rookie headaches, but Denver’s line will need to contain the QB and not let him hurt them on the ground or outside the pocket.
4. Bo Nix’s quest for a complete game: Nix had a pretty good three-game stretch going into last week, then he (and the entire offense) had a dud for three quarters against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Broncos are undefeated (3-0) in games that Nix does not have a turnover this season. Denver needs to get off to a better start on Thursday and not rely on a late rally to get back in the game. Nix needs to stay composed in clean pockets and not get happy feet like he had a tendency to do against the Chargers. The rookie QB seems to be making progress, but he is yet to have a complete game.
5. Sean Payton’s return to New Orleans: Payton, of course, knows the Saints well. New Orleans coach Dennis Allen also knows Payton’s offense well. The Saints will honor former quarterback Drew Brees at halftime, making the night even more emotional for Payton. The coach is doing his best to keep his attention on the game, not his return to New Orleans. Payton is bringing a host of former Saints with him back to the Caesars Superdome, and it would not be surprising to see plays designed specifically for Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Adam Trautman and Michael Burton. Payton has great memories from his time with the Saints, but he would undoubtedly like to get a big win against his former team.
Thursday’s game will be available to stream exclusively on Prime Video.
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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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The Broncos did not practice on Monday, but they released an estimated injury report because they play on Thursday this week.
The Denver Broncos did not practice on Monday, but NFL rules require the team to release injury reports in the three days leading up to each game, so the Broncos released an estimated injury report today ahead of a Thursday Night Football clash with the New Orleans Saints.
Of note, right tackle Alex Palczewski (ankle) is listed as a projected limited participant, which is a positive sign after he missed Sunday’s game. Mike McGlinchey (MCL) is eligible to return from injured reserve this week, and we’ll know more about his status perhaps as early as tomorrow.
Denver cornerback Damarri Mathis (ankle) is also eligible to return from IR, which is good timing because Pat Surtain (concussion) seems unlikely to be cleared in time for Thursday’s game.
View the Broncos’ complete (estimated) injury report below.
| Player | Injury | Mon (estimate) | Tue | Wed | Game Status |
| CB Damarri Mathis | Ankle | Full | |||
| LB Justin Strnad | Ribs | Full | |||
| CB Ja’Quan McMillian | Ankle | Limited | |||
| CB Riley Moss | Hip | Limited | |||
| OT Alex Palczewski | Ankle | Limited | |||
| CB Pat Surtain | Concussion | DNP |
Denver will hold light practices on Tuesday and Wednesday before releasing a final injury report with game statuses for Thursday’s game in New Orleans.
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Here’s an updated name pronunciation guide for the Broncos, including “Tyler buh-DAY.”
Fox commentators caused a stir in Broncos Country last week when they pronounced running back Tyler Badie’s name as “buh-day” instead of “bay-dee.”
It turns out, Tim Brando and Matt Millen were correct in their pronunciation. After going by “bay-dee” at Missouri and through two seasons in the NFL, Badie informed the Broncos last week that he wanted it to be pronounced “buh-day.” Duly noted!
So, with Badie’s name corrected, here’s a look at an updated name pronunciation guide for Denver’s players this season:
Up next for Badie and Co. is a road game against the New York Jets on Sunday. Denver will aim to improve to 2-2 in Week 4.
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“He has really good football instincts,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of slot cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian.
The Denver Broncos ask a lot out of their slot cornerbacks.
“They have to be smart,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said last month. “They end up playing the role somewhat of a linebacker so they have to be good in their run fits. They have to be, generally speaking, someone we feel like can be a pressure player. I’d say the other thing is their short area quickness has to be an asset. Those would be couple that stand out: smart, quick, pressure player, good tackler.”
Ja’Quan McMillian fits the bill.
Last season, McMillian totaled 51 tackles, five pass breakups, two interceptions, two sacks and two fumble recoveries playing in the slot. He’s exactly what Denver’s staff looks for at the position.
“He is extremely smart,” Payton said during training camo. “He caught us on a pressure today, disguised it well. We saw that a year ago. I kind of felt like he’s one of those players that kind of took a step into his own last year, created a lot of turnovers. He has really good football instincts and I think that is a trait that’s very important because there are a lot of adjustments that take place for that player when the motion goes or leaves.
“His fits in the run game are different than maybe the corners or even the safeties sometimes. So you’re looking for someone who has high football I.Q. and good COD [change of direction], someone that can tackle, and of course you’re going to play man-to-man, so how does he hold up when he’s covering up in the slot? [He handles] all of those things.”
McMillian joined the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of East Carolina in 2022. He emerged as a key member of Denver’s secondary last season and McMillian figures to remain an important part of the defense this fall.
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We’re eager to see JAY-quan mac-MILL-in and en-YO-muh oo-WAZ-zur-EE-kay lining up on defense for the Broncos this fall.
Now that the Denver Broncos have their 53-man roster and practice squad pretty much set for the 2024 NFL season, fans can familiarize themselves with the players we’ll be watching on Sundays this fall. An important part of that familiarization is pronunciation.
Courtesy of the team, here is a name pronunciation guide for Broncos players you might not know how to pronounce from just reading their names:
After Ja’Quan McMillian’s name was botched by commentators during preseason, hopefully this guide can help fans and pundits avoid similar mistakes during the regular season.
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It’s not “McQuilan,” “McKillin” or “McMillion.” He’s Ja’Quan “mac-MILL-in,” according to the Broncos.
If Denver Broncos slot cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian is going to become a household name, he’ll need NFL commentators to at least pronounce his name correctly.
During the Broncos’ preseason showdown with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, 9News commentators Steve Levy and Ryan Harris struggled to pronounce McMillian’s name, an issue that other pundits have struggled with as well.
The cornerback must have watched a replay of the game or had the botched pronunciations relayed to him because McMillian took to Twitter/X on Monday with a funny response.
“It can’t be that hard to say my last name 🤣🤣🤣,” the cornerback tweeted.
It can’t be that hard to say my last name 🤣🤣🤣
— Ja’Quan (@Island2_1) August 19, 2024
The Broncos’ official name pronunciation guide has McMillian listed as “mac-MILL-in.” That hasn’t stopped commentators from using names including “McQuilan,” “McKillin” and “McMillion.” It’s becoming a meme at this point.
Ja'Quan McMillion đź’°đź’°đź’° https://t.co/vlXclGUIyG
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) August 19, 2024
As Predominantly Orange’s Sayre Bedinger pointed out on Twitter, it could be worse — at least McMillian’s name is spelled correctly on his jersey.
Ja'Quan McKillin
Ja'Quan McQuillan
Ja'Quan McMillion
Ja'Quan MAC-Millen
The only thing you're missing is a misprinted jersey like Jaleel McLaughlin!
— Sayre Bedinger (@SayreBedinger) August 19, 2024
Last summer, then-rookie running back Jaleel McLaughlin played with “McGlaughlin” as the name printed on the back of his jersey in a preseason game. We’ve got the spelling down for McMillian. Now for the prounication. All together: “mac-MILL-in.”
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After going undrafted in 2022, Ja’Quan McMillian emerged as a play-making slot cornerback for the Broncos last fall.
Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at third-year cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian, No. 29.
Before the Broncos:Â McMillian (5-10, 183 pounds) had a stellar three-year stint at East Carolina, where he quietly racked up quite the stat sheet. From 2019-2021, McMillian recorded 127 total tackles (97 solo, 37 assisted), 28 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 12 interceptions.
Broncos tenure: McMillian was an undrafted free agent out of college in 2021, signing with Denver. In 2022, McMillian started only one game, the season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers. That game, he recorded seven total tackles and nearly grabbed an interception, which was enough for Broncos coaches to take notice.
Last fall, McMillian emerged as the team’s slot cornerback. During the past season, McMillian made several highlight-reel plays. McMillian recorded three interceptions, forced two fumbles and recovered two fumbles. One of his most memorable plays from 2023 happened when Denver visited the Buffalo Bills. On the first play of the game, McMillian stripped Bills running back James Cook and recovered the fumble on Buffalo’s 28-yard line.
Chances to make the 53-man roster: Lock. McMillian proved that he could be a formidable competitor against an opponent’s No. 2 or 3 receiver in 2023. If his performance in 2023 is a harbinger of things to come, McMillian will be a steady slot cornerback for years to come.
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