Denver Broncos Injuries a Concern as Team Heads Toward Postseason

The Denver Broncos have battled through various injuries all season long. Both the offense and the defense have injuries to key players that will impact what the team can (and can’t) do on the field. The Broncos have still not locked up a first-round bye, the AFC West or even a playoff spot. Getting healthy and closing out the season with back-to-back wins would help them greatly as they head toward the postseason.

They have a big game coming up against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football in Week 16. The extra day is going to help this team, as they have more than a few players who could use a little more rest.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak welcomes that extra time to recover.

“I think it’ll help our football team, not just a player. We need to use it. Obviously, it’s Christmas week, too. We have a lot of guys that could use an extra day as we get to Monday.”

Here’s a look at the biggest injuries the Broncos will have to deal with in Week 16—and beyond.

David Bruton Done for the Year

Don Wright/Associated Press

In a remarkable feat, veteran safety David Bruton played most of the game against the Steelers with a broken leg. The team is incredibly banged up at the safety position, but having Bruton on the field gave them plenty of veteran experience—even though he’s a backup and primarily a special teams standout.

Bruton didn’t know the severity of the injury during the game.

“Honestly, I thought it was a bruise. Us being down already and me missing last game and knowing how important this game was, there is no way I was going to come out. I’d have to have something very, very serious—well obviously this is serious—but something that kept me out of the game right then and there immediately. That’s the only way I would have stayed out.”

Bruton exclaimed, “I gave 110 percent. I basically gave a leg for my guys, literally. Just a tribute to the fact that I love the team and love being a part of it.”

On Tuesday, it was announced that the team had put Bruton on season-ending injured reserve. In his place, the team signed Shaun Prater.

T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart to Return Soon?

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

High-ankle sprains are known to linger, and strong safety T.J. Ward has been dealing with that exact injury since the Week 12 game against the New England Patriots.

Like high-ankle sprains, hamstring injuries can linger if not given enough time to properly heal. That’s what free safety Darian Stewart had been dealing with, and it’s the reason why he missed the game against the Steelers.

Kubiak updated the status of their starting duo at safety.

“T.J. and Darian—Darian worked out before the game. We watched him work out. We thought it was a no. Just didn’t feel good about it—thought he would go backwards, would not be available these next two weeks.”

Kubiak opined, “Hopefully we’re back to work Wednesday to see where he’s at. The plan for T.J. is to go back to work on Wednesday. I would say he’s day-to-day right now, but he did stay home and work for us with our trainer that we left behind. Hopefully we’ll make some progress this week.”

Getting Ward back would be huge for the team’s run defense. Ward is one of the most intimidating players in the NFL, and he certainly knows how to make his presence felt.

Having Stewart roaming the middle of the field would also better prevent teams from taking deep shots on the Broncos. He’s been one of the most unheralded Broncos starters this year, but Stewart has made quite an impact in his debut season with the team.

If the Broncos get both of these safeties back, they’ll be able to perform better defensively.

DeMarcus Ware Sees Snaps Increase

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

The Broncos have a fierce pass rush, but they are better when future Hall of Fame pass-rusher DeMarcus Ware is on the field. After missing four games in a row (five total this season) with a back injury, Ware returned to the field for the Week 14 game against the Oakland Raiders. In that contest, he played only 14 snaps—all on third down.

Against the Steelers on Sunday, Ware saw his snap count increase to a more normal level.

Ware played 31 snaps against the Steelers. That number matches the average he saw in the two games he’d previously played before returning against the Raiders. On average, Ware had seen the field on 30 snaps during that time.

The Broncos tried to get after Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, but they failed to generate much pressure against his quick-passing game. Denver blitzed Roethlisberger on a whopping 61.1 percent of his dropbacks (the league average for Week 15 was 30.3 percent). However, Roethlisberger felt pressure on merely 14.0 percent of his dropbacks.

In order to have a more effective pass rush, the Broncos could use a little more from DeMarcus Ware. Having him healthy will provide a boost for the defense as they march toward the postseason.

Brock Osweiler Shoulder-Watch

The quarterback situation for the Broncos is unchanged entering Week 16. Peyton Manning will be inactive, and Brock Osweiler will start once again. Osweiler started out strong against the Steelers with three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown in the first half.

Things didn’t go so well for Osweiler in the second half. The team went 1-of-9 on third downs (after being 100 percent in the first half), and Osweiler went 7-of-26 as a passer in the third and fourth quarters.

Kubiak denies that Osweiler’s shoulder caused problems in the second half against the Steelers.

“I don’t think so with some of the things that I saw him do. I think, if anything, he really struggled with a certain way that we ran the ball and trying to hand the ball off with that arm.” Kubiak emphasized, “I think we were in position to do some of the same things that we did in the first half. We just didn’t do them and I’m not just talking about him. I’m talking about as a group.”

During the week of practice, much of the focus will be on the recovering Manning—but we should keep an eye on Osweiler as well.

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.