The Broncos on Friday ruled out wide receiver Courtland Sutton and outside linebacker Baron Browning for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Both are working their way through the league’s concussion protocol. Sutton was injured in the first quarter Christmas Eve against New England and Browning later in the game.
Denver also ruled out tight end Greg Dulcich (hamstring/foot) and offensive lineman Alex Palczewski (knee) from returning from injured reserve this weekend.
Denver has an illness going around the team, head coach Sean Payton said, that left receiver Jerry Jeudy and running back Dwyane Washington questionable. Safety Justin Simmons said illness hit him hard Thursday when he missed a day, but he was back to work Friday.
“We’ve had a few guys dealing with the flu bug, more so this week than what I can recall,” Payton said. “Some of them will be listed as questionable because hopefully they will be able to go. A little more on the injury report this week than most.
The other player questionable for Sunday is rookie receiver Marvin Mims Jr., who injured his hamstring during practice Thursday.
WR depth might get tested. Friday’s injury report at least leaves open the possibility that Denver’s top three receivers (Sutton, Jeudy and Mims) could miss the game just as Jarrett Stidham steps into the starting quarterback role.
“We’re deep here with some guys that have played a lot,” Payton said. “And there’s some similarities. If you told me this player was possibly out, then I’d say this would be the easy one-for-one.
“Those guys have worked their tails off all season long and all of a sudden there’s one week where maybe one or more than one get a chance.”
In the locker room after practice, veteran practice squad receiver Tre’Quan Smith said Payton told him Wednesday he looked “night and day different” since he joined the team earlier this year and that the Broncos receivers are ready to go regardless of who gets elevated from the practice squad.
Denver’s got Smith, Phillip Dorsett, David Sills and Michael Bandy on the practice squad, though Sills has been elevated three times, so he’d have to be promoted to the 53-man roster.
“It’s a good group of guys,” Smith said. “Whenever somebody goes down, we have a good enough group of guys that can easily replace somebody else. It looks like Courtland’s not playing this week due to the concussion last week, and I feel like our receiver room’s ready to step up, no problem.
“Nobody’s nervous, everybody has experience. It’s not a young group of guys. Everybody’s ready to play.”
Smith said Dorsett, who turns 31 next week, would still win a race among all of the team’s pass-catchers.
“He’s the oldest one in our room, but when you see him practice, man, I think the other day he ran 22.9 miles an hour (on the GPS),” Smith said. “He’s literally the fastest guy in the room.”
Smith said he feels like he’s played well in practice and would be ready if he’s called upon. But he wasn’t banging on the table for a chance to play.
“Just as much as I’m comfortable with being called up, I know (the others) feel the same way about themselves,” he said. “I know Sean’s going to make the right decisions and call the right guys up.”
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