Malcolm Roach is going to miss at least the first four games of the Broncos’ season.
That doesn’t come as a big surprise, but it is official after Denver put the defensive tackle on injured reserve Saturday. The team announced the move and several other transactions.
Roach sustained a Grade 2 calf strain during Thursday’s practice and had already been ruled out of Sunday’s opener against Tennessee.
Dr. Kenton Fibel, a primary care sports medicine specialist at Cedars-Sinai Orthopedics in Los Angeles and the Anaheim Ducks’ team doctor, told The Denver Post earlier this week that the recovery time from a calf strain of that general severity would likely mean missing “several weeks.”
In Roach’s absence, defensive linemen Jordan Jackson and Eyioma Uwazurike stand to see an uptick in playing time.
The Broncos filled Roach’s spot on the 53-man roster by promoting quarterback Sam Ehlinger.
The former Indianapolis quarterback and University of Texas product was one of the last men cut late last month, but the Broncos convinced him to return to the practice squad despite interest from other teams.
Now, he’s on the active roster before the regular season even begins.
Ehlinger signed with Denver late in the spring. Quarterbacks coach Davis Webb told The Post last month that the Broncos didn’t look at many quarterbacks in free agency but, “we went after him.”
“I was always like, man, if somebody just spent a little more time mechanically with him or had a former quarterback coaching him, I think the best is yet to come for him,” Webb said. “When he was available and we needed a No. 3 or a guy that could push our No. 2, that was a pretty easy decision.”
Now that Ehlinger is on the 53-man roster, he can be Denver’s emergency third quarterback on gamedays and not count against the team’s active player count for the game.
Bailey, Prentice elevated. The Broncos also elevated FB Adam Prentice and ILB Levelle Bailey from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.
Each was expected as Bailey provides insurance with ILB Dre Greenlaw (quad) ruled out and given the fact that Denver doesn’t have a fullback on its 53-man roster.
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