The Denver Broncos have been busy preparing for their Sunday showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs, but an unexpected name turned up on their injury report that could end up causing a big strategy shift.
Start with the expected news: cornerback Pat Surtain II will miss this one with a pectoral injury. This isn’t surprising at all, despite Surtain’s claims on his podcast last week that he’d be back soon, and it will be interesting to see how Denver’s reworked secondary will fare against quarterback Patrick Mahomes and company.
The new name was running back J.K. Dobbins, who missed yesterday’s practice due to a foot injury. Dobbins hurt his foot in last Thursday’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders during what he described as an illegal hip-drop tackle, and the running back took to social media to make it clear that he was upset about the lack of a penalty or a subsequent fine.
A compromised version of Dobbins would be a big factor in this game. Denver’s offense has struggled with inconsistency, and Dobbins’ ability to get loose in the secondary has provided consistent yardage and big plays in pivotal moments. His injury could also be linked to the sudden signing of receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey, who would give the Broncos more size and variety in the passing game.
Fellow running back RJ Harvey is also effective as a receiver and on outside runs, but he’s probably not capable of carrying the running game against Kansas City.
Another significant name that turned up on the report was linebacker Alex Singleton, who missed practice due to illness. This was expected, as Singleton previously announced that he was battling testicular cancer, and he recently underwent surgery to remove a tumor.
Other names that turned up on the report, which was updated by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, included linebacker Jonah Ellis (hamstring) and tight end Nate Adkins (knee). Defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers was added to the report as limited due to a back injury, while linebacker Jonathan Cooper, linebacker Garrett Wallow and receivers Trent Sheffield and Marvin Mims were all listed as full participants coming off various injuries.
The Dobbins injury was countered to some extent by the news that Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy turned up on Kansas City’s injury report due to an ankle issue. Worthy was listed as limited, but if he’s hampered or out it would initiate more strategy changes, and the Chiefs offense has been far less powerful without Worthy at full speed.