There was no miraculous recovery on the side field in Dove Valley on Friday afternoon.
Broncos inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw (quad) and tight end Evan Engram (back) will both miss the Broncos’ first AFC West matchup of the season Sunday, as the organization ruled both out against the Chargers on Friday’s injury report. There’s no current end in sight to Greenlaw’s long rehab stint, as the inside linebacker has made just one appearance during the viewing period of practice — limited last Friday — since mid-August.
Head coach Sean Payton said Wednesday that he felt Greenlaw was on the organization’s schedule, but his recovery timeline was “a little nebulous.” The Broncos have slow-played the inside linebacker, but the decision to not put Greenlaw on injured reserve is now butting up against Week 4.
A source described Greenlaw as “day-to-day” to The Denver Post on Friday afternoon.
Denver did receive some good injury news, as inside linebacker Justin Strnad was a full participant Friday after a foot injury kept him out Wednesday. He’s set to start in place of Greenlaw for a third straight week. He already has two sacks on ILB blitzes early in the year.
Still, the Broncos will need a more nimble effort from both Strnad and starting ILB Alex Singleton against the Chargers in coverage, after Daniel Jones and the Colts filleted the middle of Denver’s defense last week.
“He’s a guy that can play in coverage,” Payton said of Strnad on Friday, “and it’s good to see him with the production rushing the passer.”
The Broncos will go without Engram, their ascribed Joker, for the first time this year Sunday. Payton said his back “became a factor” during last week’s game against the Colts, when Engram had just one catch.
Payton emphasized that Engram’s injuries weren’t a factor in his overall utilization through two games. Yet through two games in Denver, Engram has played roughly half the percentage of offensive snaps that he did last year in Jacksonville.
“It’s probably too early to tell,” Payton said of Engram’s utilization. “Certainly, it’s – he’s going to play a big role for us.”
The Broncos will gain a weapon in the tight end room with dual-function fullback Nate Adkins set to make his season debut against the Chargers. Adkins won’t replace Engram’s role in the pass game, but he can help open up the Broncos ground game as a blocker.
“I think, quietly, Nate was one of those players that I don’t know got a lot of attention, and yet there was a lot of respect around the league and in the locker room for the way he did a number of things,” Payton said in August. “So it’ll be good to get him back when we do.”
Referee-scouting habits: If you’re set to man an officiating crew on Sundays in Denver, be prepared for Payton to try to find out everything about your track record. And we mean, everything.
“This morning, we do the officiating report — we do last year’s numbers, we do this year’s numbers,” Payton said Friday. “Then we do special teams, defense and offense. What are the fouls they’re calling? Where does that rank? And then we do a backdrop on the referee.
“Where is he from? How did he get this job? How long has he been in the league? Wife and children’s name?”
The Broncos were called for eight penalties Sunday against the Colts. Payton described the crew for Broncos-Chargers as “in the lower end” of flags historically thrown.
Time to hold Court: After the Broncos’ No. 1 receiver caught just one pass across four targets against the Colts, Payton said it’d be “important” to get Courtland Sutton more touches against the Chargers in Week 3.
“I think it’s important in the third down, I think it’s important in the red zone, and then throughout the game plan,” Payton said.
Sutton has seven catches for 67 yards and a touchdown thus far this season. He is second on the Broncos in receiving yards to Troy Franklin.
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
