Broncos coach Sean Payton announced Monday that safety Delarrin Turner-Yell will be placed on the injured reserve after suffering a torn ACL in Sunday’s 16-9 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Turner-Yell was helped off the field in the first quarter when he injured his knee during Chargers wide receiver Derius Davis’ 12-yard punt return. After the game, Turner-Yell was in the locker room with crutches and a large brace on his left knee.
While Payton knows Turner-Yell will be out for Sunday’s season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders, he is hopeful about starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey, who suffered a rib injury with under five minutes to go in the first quarter. Even though McGlinchey walked off the field on his own power, he never returned to the field. Veteran Cam Fleming replaced him at right tackle.
“I won’t go into any details, but we are a lot more optimistic about him,” Payton said.
Payton reaffirmed that the recent injuries and the Broncos being eliminated from playoff contention will not change his approach on the roster for the matchup against the Raiders.
“We do everything in our power to win this game. It’s that important,” Payton said. “From who’s playing quarterback to who’s starting at the offensive line to who’s starting on defense. It’s that simple.”
Payton on Dulcich’s injury progress: For the longest time, Payton has hoped that second-year tight end Greg Dulcich (hamstring/foot) would return before the end of the regular season. After not practicing since Dec. 13, it appears that Dulcich’s return to game action might have to wait.
At this point, the focus is on trying to salvage Dulcich’s career, which has been plagued with injuries. The former UCLA standout missed the first five games of last season with a hamstring injury. In 2023, he has had two stints on the injured reserve because of the same issue.
After Dulcich returned to practice for the first time since he aggravated a hamstring injury in mid-October against Kansas City, he was sidelined once again because of swelling and soreness in his foot.
“It’s something our medical people and everyone involved are working hard on,” Payton said. “Getting to that proper weight, strength and all the things that allowed him to stay healthy. He’s a tremendous worker, so he’s going to do whatever it takes. We’ll have to wait.”
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