Broncos Get Expected Bad News About Their Star Safety

The Denver Broncos are getting an early test of their defensive depth in their secondary, with reports coming out of Denver that safety Talanoa Hufanga will be out multiple weeks due to the ankle injury he sustained against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. 

According to a report from Josh Alper that referenced material from Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Hufanga is expected to miss multiple weeks due to the ankle injury. He was listed as a non-participant on the initial reports from Monday and Tuesday, which puts him on track to be ruled out for Denver’s Thursday night game against the Seattle Seahawks, per Alper. 

Hufang has been starring for the Broncos so far, so this is a big blow. The safety made two interceptions against the Los Angeles Rams that basically won the game for Denver two weeks ago, with one of them being a pick-six and the other an interception at the goal line with the Rams driving for a potential winning touchdown in Denver’s 30-26 win. 

His stats for the season have been impressive as well. Per Alper, Hufanga has 23 tackles, two interceptions, an interception return for a touchdown, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery so far this season.

The Broncos have depth on the back end, but it’s being sorely tested. The other safeties are Brandon Jones, Devon Key, JL Skinner, and Tycen Anderson, but Skinner and Anderson are mostly considered depth players for Denver who play mostly on special teams. 

Jones is a reliable player who had a big interception late in the fourth quarter against the Chargers, but now Key will likely get more snaps as the next man up. 

It’s not just at safety where the Broncos are being tested. They played without their two starting cornerbacks, Riley Moss and Pat Surtain II, on Sunday against the Chargers, and there’s a good chance Surtain will be out again. Moss could be back, but injury reports during short weeks like this can be a bit more unreliable. 

The good news for Denver is that they finally rediscovered their pass rush against the Chargers. Nik Bonitto had a pair of sacks after a series of quiet games, as the Broncos continue to try and adjust to the absence of linebacker Jonathan Cooper, whose trial date was just pushed back to March. 

The Seahawks mirror the Broncos to some extent in that they can’t run the ball, so the secondary should see plenty of action against Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold.