Will P.J. Locke play Sunday? As he said, ‘We’ll see’

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — You probably don’t have to go far down the list of items for which the Broncos are thankful to find the presence of safety P.J. Locke on the practice field.

But the question now is this: Will Locke be ready to go by Sunday?

“Hopefully I can go Sunday, but we’ll see,” Locke said in the locker room after seeing limited work in his first practice paces since he injured his ankle in the second quarter of the Broncos’ Nov. 13 win over Buffalo.

Describing the recovery as a “work in progress,” Locke felt as though he took some steps during Thursday’s on-field work.

“It felt pretty good. I felt like I made some strides — especially from last week, from yesterday to today, it was some big strides,” Locke said.

P.J. Locke, on practicing Thursday: “It (the ankle) felt pretty good. I felt like I made some strides — especially from last week, from yesterday to today, it was some big strides. Like I said, it’s a work in progress, so, hopefully I can go Sunday, but we’ll see. We’ll see.” pic.twitter.com/3XIUimAZZ4

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) November 23, 2023

One key for Locke is making sure he can go for the long haul over a game.

“I just need to make sure I’m comfortable moving around. I don’t wanna go in for four plays and be hurting or anything like that,” Locke said. “I need to be confident.

“I’m already taking mental preparation throughout the week. Just making sure that I’m on top of the game plan and what the offense is trying to do to us. Other than that, man, physically, I just need to make sure I’m comfortable and I can do all the things I can do.”

BUT LOCKE ISN’T THE ONLY NOTABLE INJURY STATUS TO WATCH FOR SUNDAY’S GAME

For the Broncos, defensive lineman D.J. Jones was limited for a second-straight day due to a knee problem.

But in Cleveland, all eyes remain on cornerback Denzel Ward, who missed a second-consecutive practice Thursday due to a shoulder injury suffered last Sunday against Pittsburgh. A report in The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer indicated that Ward could miss multiple games.

Two other injured Browns defensive backs — safeties Juan Thornhill and Grant Delpit — both returned to practice on a limited basis Thursday after sitting out Wednesday. Edge rusher Myles Garrett — who has 13 sacks in 10 games this season — also saw limited work Thursday after receiving a rest day Wednesday.

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