The long-awaited return on Ja’Wuan James gives Broncos flexibility
Oct 21, 2019, 7:07 AM | Updated: 12:53 pm
The Broncos have seen a slew of injuries in their secondary this season, a trend that continued on Thursday night against the Chiefs. Joining Bryce Callahan, Kareem Jackson and Duke Dawson amongst the defensive backs who will miss playing time is safety Will Parks.
Against Kansas City, Parks left the game with a hand injury. Later, it was discovered that he had to have surgery on his thumb, which will sideline the safety for a couple of weeks.
Broncos notes: Will Parks to miss at least 2 games after undergoing thumb surgery https://t.co/mKtDaUMkHL via @9NEWS #9sports
— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) October 18, 2019
There was some good news on the injury front, however. After missing six-plus games with a sprained knee, it appears Ja’Wuan James will finally return to action this week against the Colts.
The high-priced free agent was injured after just 10 snaps in the season opener, forcing the Broncos to go with Elijah Wilkinson at right tackle. That change tied Denver’s hands when it came to other possible moves, as Wilkinson is a versatile player who could’ve possibly replaced Garett Bolles at left tackle or Ron Leary at right guard when those two players struggled.
Now, the Broncos will once again have some flexibility. It’d be a major surprise if James didn’t play on Sunday.
“He hadn’t had enough quality practice time and he’d been out six weeks; I think it’s always a coach’s duty to not put a player out there that’s not ready,” Fangio explained last week when asked why James didn’t play against the Chiefs. “He’s cleared medically, but there’s another part of the equation when it comes to recovery and rehab. I don’t think he had completed that part yet.”
That won’t be the case this week. Look for James to be on the practice field and in the starting lineup on Sunday.
