Broncos Have Returning Players, Roster Moves Coming Up

The Denver Broncos got another shaky win over the Seattle Seahawks, 17-14 in OT, and they’ve now survived their initial schedule gauntlet and managed to somehow go 4-2 in the process. 

There’s much more coming, of course, and it starts with a series of roster moves and players returning from injuries that starts this weekend. The most noteworthy addition will be rookie running back Jonah Coleman, who’s been out with an ankle injury, and the Broncos expect him to be back at practice next week as the team begins preparations to play the Arizona Cardinals. 

That will force an accompanying roster move, but there are other additions coming, too. Offensive tackle Frank Crum and tight end Caleb Lohner are both eligible to return from injured reserve, according to a report from Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post, although neither player has begun practicing. 

Once they do, a 21-day practice window opens, and during that time they have to be restored to the active roster. Crum’s injury was reportedly a minor procedure on his knee, while there was no specific update available on Lohner. Crum has been used as an extra tackle in jumbo packages, while coach Sean Payton spent training camp talking up Lohner’s considerable potential due to his size and presence in the run game at 6’6” and 260 pounds. 

The defense will be getting some reinforcements as well. The Broncos benefitted from the partial return of cornerback Riley Moss against Seattle, although he was on a fairly low snap count. 

Moss should be a full go against Arizona, which is good news given how much substitute corners Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine struggled against Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who caught 12 passes for 134 yards. 

Barron especially struggled in coverage and with his tackling, and the Broncos will also be carefully monitoring the status for cornerback Pat Surtain II and safety Talanoa Hufanga. Both players currently have a chance to be activated for the Cardinals game, although their injuries were significant and the Broncos might want to wait a week before bringing them back. 

There’s also the legal situation of linebacker Jonathon Cooper, who had his trial date for a felony assault charge related to a pair of arrests for domestic violence moved back to March. Cooper is still on the commissioner’s exempt list, but there’s been speculation that the date shift could be related to the possibility of the linebacker being activated after missing six games so far.