Luke Wattenberg – Syndication Server

Recapping the roster moves Broncos made ahead of Chiefs game

Broncos C Luke Wattenberg was activated from IR and FB Michael Burton and LB Zach Cunningham were elevated to the game-day roster.

The Denver Broncos made a few roster moves leading up to Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The first domino fell on Monday when the Broncos traded pass rusher Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick. To fill Browning’s old spot on the active roster, Denver activated center Luke Wattenberg (ankle) from injured reserve to the 53-man roster on Saturday.

Additionally, Denver elevated fullback Michael Burton and linebacker Zach Cunningham from the practice squad to the game-day roster for Week 10. Burton and Cunningham will revert back to the practice squad on Monday.

Broncos roster moves

Traded OLB Baron Browning to Cardinals
Activated C Luke Wattenberg to 53-man roster
Promoted FB Michael Burton to game-day roster
Promoted LB Zach Cunningham to game-day roster

Sunday’s game will be regionally televised on CBS (view the TV map). Playing at home, KC is considered a heavy favorite against the Broncos.

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Broncos have a big decision to make after activating Luke Wattenberg

After activating Luke Wattenberg from injured reserve, the Broncos have to decide between starting him or Alex Forsyth at center.

After spending the last four games on injured reserve with an ankle injury, Denver Broncos center Luke Wattenberg was activated to the 53-man roster on Saturday, the team announced.

Denver had room for Wattenberg on the active roster after trading outside linebacker Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals earlier this week.

Broncos coach Sean Payton now has to make a tough decision for the starting lineup ahead of Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Wattenberg started the first five games of the year and Alex Forsyth started the last four games while Wattenberg was sidelined. Denver will have to decide between going back to the original starter or sticking with the center who has played well in his absence.

Perhaps helping Forsyth’s case is the fact that he played with quarterback Bo Nix at Oregon.

“Alex was right there with the center battle during training camp, and obviously he and Bo have a good relationship,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said on Oct. 10. “That’s always important with centers and quarterbacks.”

Wattenberg is a former fifth-round draft pick who has one year remaining on his contract. Forysth was picked by the Broncos in the seventh round of last year’s draft and he has two years left on his deal.

We probably won’t get an answer on who Denver plans to start until the first snap on Sunday.

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Broncos release Friday injury report: Safety returns with cast

Broncos safety P.J. Locke (thumb) is poised to return to the starting lineup this week, but he will be wearing a cast.

Denver Broncos safety P.J. Locke practiced all three days this week and he appears set to play against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday after missing the team’s last two games.

Broncos coach Sean Payton said after Friday’s practice that Locke will wear a small cast on his hand to protect his thumb for several weeks.

Elsewhere on the injury front, center Luke Wattenberg (ankle) was a full participant on Thursday and Friday, but he is officially listed as questionable for Sunda’s game. Once Wattenberg returns from injured reserve, Denver will have to make room for him on the active roster.

Safety Delarrin Turner-Yell (knee) and linebacker Drew Sanders (Achilles) have been ruled out, so they’ll have to wait at least one more week before being activated from the physically unable to perform list.

View the team’s final injury report below.

Player	Wed	Thur	Fri	Game Status
DE Zach Allen (NIR – rest)	Limited	Full	Full
DL D.J. Jones (knee)	Full	Full	Full
DB P.J. Locke (thumb)	Full	Full	Full
OT Mike McGlinchey (knee)	Limited	Full	Full
DB Delarrin Turner-Yell (knee)	Full	Full	Full	Out
C Luke Wattenberg (ankle)	Limited	Full	Full	Questionable
LB Drew Sanders (Achilles)	Limited	Limited	Limited	Out

Sunday’s game will be regionally televised on CBS (view the TV map). Playing at home, KC is considered a heavy favorite against the Broncos.

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Broncos vs. Chiefs: 5 things to watch for on Sunday

Here are five things to watch for when the Chiefs host the Broncos on Sunday.

After facing the Baltimore Ravens on the road last week, the Denver Broncos are now set to take on the Kansas City Chiefs on the road this week.

The Broncos lost to the Ravens 41-10 and coach Sean Payton must now attempt to stop the bleeding before going up against a division rival.

“Listen there’s a little bit of UFC to our league,” Payton said this week.
“You’ve got to be able to, each week, I don’t care who you’re playing, if you’re not careful you can catch one on the chin. You’ve got to get back up and you’ve got to get back to work.

“That gets back to that mental toughness, the grit, all the things that we’re looking for. Not only in our players, but our coaches and everyone. You get excited to play the next game to hopefully get the taste out of your mouth.”

With the team looking to bounce back from last week’s defeat in Baltimore, here are five storylines to watch for ahead of the Denver vs. KC matchup.

1. Weekend roster moves: The Broncos have seven players set to return to the 53-man roster in the coming weeks, and they’ll have to make some cuts to make room for the returning plays. Denver has one open spot on the active roster after trading pass rusher Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals, but the team will probably need to create at least one more opening this weekend. Center Luke Wattenberg and linebacker Kwon Alexander seem to be likely candidates to get activated to the 53-man roster on Saturday.

2. Denver’s center decision: With Wattenberg expected to return, the Broncos will need to make a decision at center. Wattenberg started the first five games of the season before landing on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Alex Forsyth started the last four games while Wattenberg was on IR. Will the team now stick with Forysth or go back to Wattenberg?

3. Broncos backfield rotation: The Chiefs allow just 83.9 rushing yards per game, third-fewest in the NFL this season. That will be a tough test for starter Javonte Williams and change-of-pace back Jaleel McLaughlin. Payton also hinted this week that rookie Audric Estime could be more involved in the second half of the season.

4. Pat Surtain vs. DeAndre Hopkins: It didn’t take long for “Nuk” to get on the same page with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. In his second game after being acquired from the Tennessee Titans via trade, Hopkins hauled in eight receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns in Week 9. Hopkins is still a formidable receiver, especially in the red zone. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Surtain follow Hopkins on Sunday.

5. Bo Nix connecting on deep throws: Despite playing with Troy Franklin in college, Nix has struggled to connect on deep throws to Franklin this season. Facing a Chiefs secondary that ranks near the middle of the pack, Nix will undoubtedly aim to get on the same page with Franklin this week. Going up a stingy run defense, Nix will need to step up for Denver’s offense to have success on the road.

Sunday’s game will be regionally televised on CBS (view the TV map). Playing at home, KC is considered a heavy favorite against the Broncos.

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Broncos release Thursday injury report: WR still sidelined

Broncos OL Luke Wattenberg (IR) and LB Drew Sanders (PUP) have returned to practice, but WR Josh Reynolds (IR) remains sidelined.

The Denver Broncos opened the windows for center Luke Wattenberg (ankle) and linebacker Drew Sanders (Achilles) to return from injury lists this week. Broncos wide receiver Josh Reynolds (finger) is also eligible to return, but the team has not yet opened his 21-day window.

Reynolds remains on injured reserve and the team has not designated him to return. Once he eventually returns to practice, Reynolds will have a three-week window to be activated to the 53-man roster.

Reynolds was shot twice after leaving a club on Oct. 18. The team described his wounds as minor, so that does not seem to be impacting his IR status.

Denver has a backlog of players returning to the active roster soon, and the Broncos probably aren’t rushing Reynolds.

Elsewhere on the injury front, safety P.J. Locke (thumb) fully participated again on Thursday, seemingly putting him on track to play against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

View the Broncos’ complete Thursday injury report below.

Player	Wed	Thur	Fri	Game Status
DL D.J. Jones (knee)	Full	Full
DB P.J. Locke (thumb)	Full	Full
DB Delarrin Turner-Yell (knee)	Full	Full
DE Zach Allen (NIR – rest)	Limited	Full
OT Mike McGlinchey (knee)	Limited	Full
LB Drew Sanders (Achilles)	Limited	Limited
C Luke Wattenberg (ankle)	Limited	Full

The Broncos will practice again on Friday before releasing a final injury report with game statuses for Sunday’s matchup in Kansas City.

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Broncos will have to make a tough decision at center soon

Alex Forsyth started the last four games with Luke Wattenberg on injured reserve. With Wattenberg now returning from IR, who should start?

The Denver Broncos will soon have to make a tough decision at center.

After spending the last four weeks on injured reserve with an ankle injury, center Luke Wattenberg returned to practice on Wednesday. He now has a 21-day window to return to the active roster.

Wattenberg started the team’s first five games of the season. Pro Football Focus gave him a 71.3 pass-blocking grade, a 53.1 run-blocking grade and a 58.0 overall grade in those five games. Wattenberg was penalized once and was not credited with allowing any sacks from Weeks 1-5.

After Wattenberg went down, the Broncos turned to second-year center Alex Forsyth, who played with quarterback Bo Nix at Oregon. Forsyth started the last four games while Wattenberg was on IR.

“You never like for your guys to get hurt,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said on Oct. 10. “We have a lot of confidence in the guys that are filling in. Alex was right there with the center battle during training camp, and obviously he and Bo have a good relationship. That’s always important with centers and quarterbacks.”

By PFF’s estimation, Forysth has played better than Wattenberg. Forysth has a 58.7 pass-blocking grade, a 68.9 run-blocking grade and an overall grade of 67.5 this season. Forysth has not been penalized, but PFF credits him with allowing two sacks.

So, what will Denver do when Wattenberg returns to the active roster, perhaps as early as this weekend? Do they go back to their Week 1 starter, or stick with the center who now has four starts under his belt and previous experience with Nix?

It will be a tough decision for coach Sean Payton and Co. to make. Payton rarely reveals lineup decisions, so we probably won’t get an answer until the first snap on Sunday.

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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.

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

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

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Broncos could have a few players return from injuries this week

Broncos CB Pat Surtain will be two weeks removed from his concussion when Denver hosts the Panthers in Week 8.

The Denver Broncos could get reinforcements on the injury front this week following their mini bye after playing on Thursday Night Football in Week 7.

The biggest name to watch will be cornerback Pat Surtain, who suffered a concussion against the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 13 and wasn’t cleared in time to play against the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 17.

The Broncos will be a full two weeks removed from when Surtain suffered the injury when they host the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 27 in Week 8, so the cornerback presumably has a good chance to return in time for that game.

Elsewhere on the injury front, right tackle Alex Palczewski (ankle) will be three weeks removed from his initial injury when the Broncos take on the Panthers. There’s no rush to get Palczewski back on the field because Mike McGlinchey is now healthy again, but Denver’s offensive line will get a nice depth boost when “Palco” is cleared to play again.

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

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Broncos center goes on injured reserve; right tackle avoids IR

The Broncos placed center Luke Wattenberg on injured reserve on Saturday. Alex Forsyth is the next man up.

The Denver Broncos placed center Luke Wattenberg on injured reserve on Saturday with an ankle injury, the team announced.

Wattenberg will now have to sit out at least four games before being eligible to return from IR. On deck for the Broncos are games against the Los Angeles Chargers (home), New Orleans Saints (away), Carolina Panthers (home) and Baltimore Ravens (away).

The earliest Wattenberg would be eligible to return would be for a Week 10 showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs on the road on Nov. 10. Alex Forsyth is set to start at center while Wattenberg is sidelined.

The good news for Denver is that right tackle Alex Palczewski has avoided IR, but he’s still ruled out for this week’s game. The Broncos are expected to replace Palczewski in the starting lineup with Matt Peart on Sunday. Next week, right tackle Mike McGlinchey (knee) will be eligible to return from IR and reclaim his starting role.

Denver’s game against Los Angeles will be regionally televised on CBS. Despite playing at home with a three-game winning streak, the Broncos are considered underdogs against the Chargers this week.

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Broncos injury report: 2 starting linemen ruled out vs. Chargers

Broncos right tackle Alex Palczewski (ankle) and center Luke Wattenberg (ankle) have been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Chargers.

The Denver Broncos have ruled out two starting offensive linemen for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Broncos right tackle Alex Palczewski and center Luke Wattenberg are both out with ankle injuries this week. Matt Peart (right tackle) and Alex Forsyth (center) are expected to fill in against the Chargers. To add more depth, Denver also signed tackle Cam Fleming and center Dieter Eiselen to the practice squad earlier this week.

“We have a lot of confidence in the guys that are filling in,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said Thursday. “Alex was right there with the center battle during training camp, and obviously he and Bo [Nix] have a good relationship. That’s always important with centers and quarterbacks. Peart’s been someone that we’ve been impressed with since he’s been here. We’re going to battle it out, and we have confidence in those guys.”

Elsewhere on offense, Broncos wide receiver Josh Reynolds (hand) has also been ruled out. That could mean Devaughn Vele’s return to the game-day roster this week.

View the team’s final injury report below.

Player	Injury	Wed	Thur	Fri	Game Status
RB Audric Estime	Ankle	Full	Full	Full	Questionable
CB Damarri Mathis	Ankle	Full	Full	Full	Questionable
DE Zach Allen	NIR – Rest	Limited	Full	Full
DE John Franklin-Myers	Shoulder	Limited	Full	Full
WR Josh Reynolds	Hand	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
OT Alex Palczewski	Ankle	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
C Luke Wattenberg	Ankle	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out

Denver running back Audric Estime (ankle) and cornerback Damaris Mathis (ankle) are eligible to return from injured reserve this week and they could be activated to the 53-man roster as soon as Saturday. Broncos right tackle Mike McGlinchey (knee) will be eligible to return from IR next week.

Denver’s game against Los Angeles will be regionally televised on CBS. Despite playing at home with a three-game winning streak, the Broncos are considered underdogs against the Chargers this week.

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