Broncos Injury Report: Battered and bruised for the Chargers

This week, most of the attention in Broncos Country has been on Drew Lock. Whether or not the rookie quarterback would get the start on Sunday against the Chargers has dominated the headlines.

Lost in the shuffle is another storyline that could greatly impact Denver against Los Angeles. Injuries are starting to pile up at an alarming rate.

Here’s who was listed on the Broncos official injury report as of Thursday, November 28:

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FULL PARTICIPATION

Chris Harris Jr. (CB)
Injury – NIR
Note – The veteran cornerback got a couple of days off earlier in the week, most likely just to provide a chance to rest and recuperate

Jeff Heuerman (TE)
Injury – Knee
Note – It appears as though the tight end is fully recovered from the knee injury he suffered against the Colts and ready to go on Sunday

Ja’Wuan James (RT)
Injury – Knee
Note – From a health standpoint, James is ready to go; now, the Broncos just need to get the high-priced right tackle ready to go mentally

Jospeh Jones (LB)
Injury – Foot
Note – It’s been a series of injuries for the backup linebacker this season, but he appears to have rebounded from the latest ailment

Will Parks (S)
Injury – Hand
Note – Parks has been back for a couple of weeks since recovering from a hand injury, so there’s no reason to believe he won’t play on Sunday

Dalton Risner (LG)
Injury – Ankle
Note – The rookie keeps tweaking his ankle, getting rolled up on what seems like a weekly basis; but he keeps grinding it out every Sunday in the trenches

Derek Wolfe (DE)
Injury – NIR
Note – Wolfe has been on the same schedule as Harris this week, as the Broncos try to keep the veteran as fresh as possible heading into December

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LIMITED PARTICIPATION

Shelby Harris (DE)
Injury – Ankle
Note – After getting injured in pregame warmups last week, Harris was limited in the first half and didn’t play in the second; this week looks iffy too

Justin Hollis (LB)
Injury – Hamstring
Note – One of the many linebackers on the injury list, the Broncos need the versatile rookie to play, just so they have options on game day

Josey Jewell (ILB)
Injury – Ankle
Note – The Broncos are once again banged up at linebacker, but Vic Fangio believes Jewell will be able to play on Sunday against the Chargers

Ron Leary (RG)
Injury – Shoulder / Neck
Note – The veteran right guard has avoided major injuries this season, thanks in part to vet days, but bumps and bruises are starting to add up

Connor McGovern (C)
Injury – Back
Note – The center was able to play in Buffalo last week with the same injury, so there’s reason to believe he’ll be on the field against the Chargers this week

Tim Patrick (WR)
Injury – Shoulder
Note – After getting hurt at Minnesota, Patrick stayed in the game and also played last week against the Bills; so the team is optimistic he’ll be a go against the Chargers

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DID NOT PRACTICE

Duke Dawson (CB)
Injury – Concussion
Note – It doesn’t appear as though the backup cornerback will be cleared to play on Sunday, just seven days after suffering a concussion in Buffalo

Alexander Johnson (ILB)
Injury – Knee
Note – The Broncos defense will miss Johnson’s presence in the middle, as Josey Jewell would re-enter the starting lineup if Johnson can’t go

Von Miller (LB)
Injury – Knee
Note – The Broncos downplayed Monday’s MRI, but the fact that Miller hasn’t practiced all week is another reason to be worried about the injury

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