The Denver Broncos got some good news on the injury front on Thursday, as three players who were listed as DNP on Wednesday in OT Garrett Bolles, WR Josh Reynolds and C Luke Wattenberg were upgraded to limited participation. OLB Jonah Ellis was also upgraded from limited to a full, a good sign that the rookie will play Sunday against the Steelers. The Broncos’ Twitter account posted their Thursday injury report.
BRONCOS’ WEEK 2 THURSDAY INJURY REPORT
DNP
WR Devaughn Vele (ribs)
LIMITED
OT Garrett Bolles (ankle)
WR Josh Reynolds (Achilles)
C Luke Wattenberg (ankle)
FULL
OLB Jonah Ellis (knee)
Vele was the only player who didn’t practice for the Broncos on Thursday, and he could wind up being a big loss if he can’t play Sunday given that the rookie was one of Bo Nix’s favorite targets in Week 1. Vele hauled in all eight of his targets for 39 yards, and with Nix likely going to be under pressure on Sunday against Pittsburgh’s formidable pass rush, not having someone he trusts as a safety blanket could be costly.
Bolles is the biggest name on the list, as he would be a huge loss as Denver’s starting left tackle. He left Sunday’s game against the Seahawks with an ankle injury, but his MRI was negative. With him working his way back to a limited participant after being a DNP yesterday, the door is open for him to play on Sunday.
Denver will want to be as healthy as possible, especially offensively, for Sunday’s matchup. Pittsburgh’s defense is one of the best in the league and Mike Tomlin has been good against rookie quarterbacks. Getting Bolles ready to go for Sunday will be important for Denver, and we’ll see if Vele is able to log a practice tomorrow, as it’s Denver’s final practice of the week. If he can’t go, the chances he plays Sunday will be very slim.
