What you need to know about the Broncos' most recent slew of injuries

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The injury bug bit the Broncos and hasn’t left.

After losing Von Miller for a majority of the year, if not the entire year, just before the start of the season, Denver lost A.J. Bouye and Phillip Lindsay for multiple weeks during Week 1’s game against the Tennessee Titans.

But losing three Pro Bowl players just wasn’t enough. On Sunday, Denver lost Pro Bowl receiver Courtland Sutton and Drew Lock as well as many players on the defensive side of the ball.

Here’s everything you need to know about Denver’s most recent devastating injuries.

DREW LOCK

The Broncos will be without Drew Lock “anywhere from three to four to five weeks,” Vic Fangio announced on Monday.

“It all depends upon the healing process,” the head coach added.

Denver’s promising young quarterback injured his right shoulder when he was sacked by Bud Dupree on the 13th play against the Steelers on Sunday.

“He’s got a bad bruise there,” Fangio said on Monday afternoon, describing his quarterback’s injury. “And when it’s your throwing shoulder it’s going to take time to heal it, it’s got to calm down, get his strength back to where he fully has it and he can operate at 100 percent.”

The slight bit of good news about Lock’s injury is there is no structural damage to Drew’s throwing shoulder.

The Broncos will be without their starting quarterback at least against the Buccaneers, against the Jets in New York and again on the road against the Patriots. The following two games, where Lock may be able to return, are both at home against the Dolphins and Chiefs. Denver will then have their bye week.

Until Denver’s former third-round pick returns, it’ll be the Jeff Driskel leading the Broncos’ offense.

“I thought in light of the circumstances… I thought he did a good job,” Fangio said, evaluating Driskel’s performance against the Steelers. “We’ll look moving forward to do what best suits Jeff and that’s something you always do when you have new players in there.”

In his relief appearance against a stout Pittsburgh defense, the fifth-year quarterback threw for 256 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and a passer rating of 84.9 as he led the Broncos to a near comeback on the road.

Brett Rypien will be elevated from Denver’s practice squad to backup Driskel. The team has discussed bringing in other quarterbacks to add to the group. However, due to COVID-19 testing protocols, any player the Broncos were to immediately bring in wouldn’t be able to join the team until Friday or Saturday.

One player the Broncos have not considered signing is Colin Kaepernick.

“His name hasn’t come up in the brief discussions I’ve had with John [Elway] at this point,” Fangio stated. “I’m sure John and Matt [Russell] will work hard to bring somebody in here that they think will be the best fit.”

Until the Broncos get someone else in their building, they’ll be down to Driskel and Rypien at the most important position in sports.

COURTLAND SUTTON

Courtland Sutton’s third season in the NFL lasted a whopping 31 plays. After missing Week 1 with an AC joint sprain, Denver’s Pro Bowl receiver battled his way back to start in Week 2. However, after the Steelers intercepted a pass that went through his hands, Sutton tore him ACL and MCL trying to make the tackle.

“It’s Courtland’s instincts and natural reaction to try and tackle the guy,” Fangio said, discussing the play Sutton got hurt. “I don’t know you can get around that. It’s easier for a quarterback who throws a pick to kind of stay out of the fray, I don’t know about for receivers and everybody else who is right in the middle of it.”

Needless to say, the 2019 Pro Bowler will miss the rest of the 2020 season.

Instead of looking outside the organization to replace Sutton’s immense ability, the Broncos will stick with who they have on their roster to help fill the big void.

“We were kind of overloaded at the wide receiver position anyway with seven guys on the active roster, so now we’ll have six,” Fangio stated.

Fortunately for the Broncos, they used their first two picks on receivers in the draft, selecting Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler. Jeudy has the second-most receptions (8) and reeivng yards (118) on the team. Hamler made his NFL debut on Sunday, racking up 48 receiving yards on three catches and adding a nine-yard run.

“The positive thing is I was really happy to see Hamler get out there and get going,” Fangio said, singing the praises of the rookie receiver without even being asked about him. “He’s definitely a good player and has a great future for us here in Denver. And hopefully, we’ll be able to play him more now.”

DEFENSE

The injuries weren’t limited to the offensive side of the ball on Sunday, either.

Promising defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones suffered a PCL strain and bone bruise to his knee, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

“Dre’Mont Jones is going to miss significant time,” Fangio confirmed. “Maybe four weeks or so.”

Jones, a 2019 third-round pick, is a key part of Denver’s defensive line as he played 47 percent of the snaps in Week 1. The Broncos will also be without DeMarcus Walker on the defensive line as he suffered a calf injury on Sunday.

There’s also a chance Davontae Harris could miss a “week or two” dealing with a hamstring injury. Harris is a backup cornerback and special-teams contributor.

With Miller, Lindsay, Bouye and Sutton all out, the Broncos are missing four of their six Pro Bowl players due to injury along with their starting quarterback. Fangio acknowledged the injuries have a negative effect on the team, but added, “we’ll get through it.”

“We’ve got a bunch of good players that are ready to step up,” Fangio said. “We’ve got a coaching staff that’s ready to lead them. We’ll be ready to play.”