Denver Broncos Defense Needs Injured Players to Heal Before Super Bowl 50

The Denver Broncos have made it to Super Bowl 50! Waiting for them next are the Carolina Panthers on the league’s biggest stage.

It has been a long and arduous journey, but they have a chance to take home their third world championship in team history. The Broncos have now been to eight Super Bowls, tied for the most in NFL history.

They made it to the final game of the year, but they didn’t get there unscathed.

Both starting safeties, T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart, were banged up in the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots. Ward re-aggravated an ankle injury that caused him to miss three games in the regular season. Stewart suffered a slight MCL sprain in his knee.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak didn’t have an update on those two on Monday.

“I really don’t [have an update]. I think they’re both doing pretty well today. We’ll have to take it a day at a time. I think they both have a chance of being there for us in two weeks, but we’ll go a day at a time and see how things work out.”

Stewart and Ward aren’t the only players with injuries the Broncos have to be concerned with. Here are some thoughts about Broncos defenders who need time to heal before the big game.

Strong Safety T.J. Ward

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One of the most intimidating players on the Broncos roster is strong safety T.J. Ward. He plays with little (or no) regard for his personal safety. Ward arrives at the ball-carrier with natural violence, and he’s certainly a player that receivers have to be concerned with when catching passes in certain areas of the field.

He missed three games (Weeks 13-15) earlier in the season with this ankle problem. With two weeks to rest before Super Bowl 50, Ward should be able to start and be close enough to full strength.

Dr. Jene Bramel from Footballguys.com says Ward should be ready for the big game.

“I think a lot of this is going to have to do with the early recovery for Ward. How effective will he be? That depends on how much healing goes on.” Bramel continued, “Ward’s ankle injury is going to be what it’s going to be. If he was able to play in one week, then he’s going to be able to play in two.”

In the Super Bowl against the Panthers, Ward is likely to be tasked with covering tight end Greg Olsen. The Broncos defense is historically weak against tight ends, so having Ward out there to help would greatly benefit their chances of slowing Olsen down.

Free Safety Darian Stewart

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An unsung hero of the Broncos defense is free safety Darian Stewart. He was a fantastic find for the Broncos in free agency. Stewart does a good job of roaming the field deep, but he can also play close to the line of scrimmage and patrol as a run defender. While Stewart is not quite as intimidating as Ward, he can hit hard and create big plays with his play.

Stewart has battled injuries almost every year of his pro career. In five years of playing in the NFL, Stewart has only had one season (2014) where he played a full 16-game schedule. In 2015, Stewart missed one game due to a hamstring injury, and he played at less than full strength in other contests.

Bramel believes Stewart should be ready for Super Bowl 50.

“Stewart’s MCL—like with running backs—is going to have a lot to do with how loose that knee ligament is. That extra week of rest could be very significant for him if it’s a low-grade injury to allow him to play, and play effectively.”

The Panthers have a couple of deep targets the Broncos need to be concerned with. Wide receivers like Ted Ginn Jr. and Corey Brown can get on top of a defense in a hurry. Having Stewart able to stay deep and keep the big plays in check is going to greatly help the Broncos.

Cornerback Chris Harris Jr.

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The Broncos found a gem in 2011 when they picked up Chris Harris Jr. as an undrafted free agent. Harris has transformed from a good slot corner to one of the best outside corners in the game today. His versatility, speed and ability to make plays on incoming passes makes him a special asset for the Broncos defense.

Like Stewart, Harris has played with various injuries this year. Harris injured his shoulder tackling San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates in the first quarter of the Week 17 win. He was able to finish that game, but Harris did not regain feeling in his shoulder after that play.

Kubiak liked how Harris was able to play through this shoulder problem against the Patriots.

“He held up great. I thought he was feeling pretty good last week, but he held up great. We had to move him with some of the things going on in the game. He played inside, he played the safety position for us, he played corner, but he and [cornerback] Aqib [Talib] both played extremely well.”

Talib—a college teammate of Harris at Kansas—knows how Harris toughed it out against the Patriots.

“Chris played dime for almost the whole fourth quarter. He is a tough guy. I know about him. I know how tough he is. I know how he’s going to compete. That’s what he did on Sunday.”

Harris is likely to play on the outside and cover Ginn. While he’s not as talented as other top wide receivers, Ginn’s speed makes him dangerous. Harris needs to be near full strength in order to help take away one of Cam Newton’s favorite targets.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.