Broncos injury update: Russell Wilson in concussion protocol

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. –– Broncos QB Russell Wilson will be in the league-mandated post-concussion protocol this week, putting his status up in the air for next Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.

“His safety is by far the No. 1, most-important thing, and we’ll continually talk to him, to everybody else about that, and make sure we do the right thing,” Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett said.

Wilson suffered the injury when his head hit the ground at the end of a 14-yard scramble in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 34-28 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He walked off the field flanked by Broncos medical personnel before undergoing tests that confirmed the concussion.

“He felt great today when we saw him. He looked great,” Hackett said. “But we want to be sure that we do everything the right away.”

Wilson’s concussion came at the end of his best game so far as a Bronco, a 3-touchdown, 1-interception performance that saw him lead the offense to 21 consecutive points midway through the game. The scramble on which he was injured saw him dive on third-and-11, setting Denver up in first-and-goal.

Backup Brett Rypien threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Jeudy four plays later. But Rypien, who started in Week 7 when Wilson had a partially-torn hamstring, struggled after that. His next two drives ended without a first down and in a punt and an interception.

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AS FOR RUNNING BACK …

The outlook is not promising for RB Mike Boone, who suffered his second-high ankle sprain since Week 7 on Sunday.

“We’re still evaluating and we’re getting all the information before we move forward,” Hackett said. “We’re going to have to have another running back up.”

Denver will need to make another move to have three running backs active for next Sunday. Devine Ozigbo is on the practice squad, and the Broncos have one practice-squad activation left for him. He played in three games earlier this season, but in the third of those — at Carolina on Nov. 27 — he was on the 53-player roster.

Chase Edmonds could fill the role, however, he is on injured reserve after suffering a high-ankle sprain of his own against Las Vegas on Nov. 20. He must remain on injured reserve for at least one more game before being eligible for activation. So, he cannot be part of the solution this week.

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ELSEWHERE …

… Edge rusher Randy Gregory remains “day-by-day,” Hackett said. Sunday marked Gregory’s ninth game missed following an early-October knee scope. “We’d love to see Gregory out there,” Hackett said. “We want to see him get after the passer.” Gregory worked out on the side of the practice field last week.

… Center Lloyd Cushenberry is also now day-to-day. He was seen on the side of the practice field last week. Cushenberry missed his fifth-consecutive game Sunday after injuring his groin against Jacksonville on Oct. 30.

… WR Kendall Hinton is being evaluated after injuring his hamstring Sunday. If he misses next Sunday’s game, he will become the 12th different Broncos player to sit out at least one game due to a hamstring injury.

… WR Courtland Sutton remains day-to-day due to the hamstring injury he incurred at Baltimore on Dec. 4. “With it being a hamstring, those things are different for everybody,” Hackett said. “We want to be sure that we’re smart with him.”

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