Denver Broncos Week 16 Practice Report: Proto-calling on depth

Denver enters the final two weeks with one thing on their Christmas wish list, wins. What they got, however, are two words that the organization desperately did not want to hear—“concussion protocol.” T.J. Ward, A.J. Derby, and Virgil Green have all been officially listed “OUT” of the Christmas-night showdown against division rival Kansas City as all three failed to complete the league’s mandatory concussion procedures.

The injury to Ward will cause him to miss his first game of the season after suffering a concussion in the loss to New England Sunday afternoon; No. 43 played 74-of-75 defensive snaps against the Patriots, so it is unclear when the injury took place. With Ward sidelined, look for rookies Will Parks and Justin Simmons to fill in during his absence.

With the tight end position thinned due to the loss of Green and Derby respectfully, head coach Gary Kubiak used the opportunity to comment on the play of second-year TE Jeff Heuerman and his improvements over the course of the season.

“It’s just encouraging because we went in the game last week planning on Virgil and A.J. taking a majority of the game,” Kubiak stated. “Then, we have an injury take place early, and he ends up playing 39 or 40 snaps. There are always moments in guys’ careers where they get opportunities, and they don’t ever give it back. Hopefully, this is one of those moments for him. He’s worked hard. He’s had a lot of setbacks with injuries, but he’s had a good month here. Let’s see what happens. I was encouraged by last week.”

Seeing as Heuerman was the only healthy tight end on the 53-man roster, the Orange & Blue waived third-string quarterback Austin Davis and promoted Henry Krieger-Coble to be his backup.

Linebacker Brandon Marshall will miss his third consecutive game while he deals with a lingering hamstring injury suffered Dec. 4 against the Jaguars. Marshall has not practiced once since the injury occurred and there is no timetable for his return. Fellow linemen Cory Nelson and Todd Davis will fill the void and the two combined for 26 total tackles Sunday in the loss to New England.

Defensive end Derek Wolfe did not practice all week due to a stinger in his neck and an illness but has not officially been ruled out for the 6:30 p.m. MST start. Kubiak and the team will re-evaluate Wolfe as the wee progress, but his status will be a game-time decision.

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