Kareem Jackson will not play for Broncos on Sunday night
Dec 23, 2023, 3:57 PM | Updated: 4:03 pm
Before returning from a two-week suspension at midseason, Kareem Jackson said that Sean Payton reached out to him with a message.
“I can’t say exactly the words, but he’s like, ‘We’re rolling; don’t you come in and mess it up,'” Jackson said on Nov. 16, upon returning to the Broncos as they were three games into what would become a five-game winning streak.”
Three days later, Jackson hit Minnesota quarterback Josh Dobbs … and received a four-game suspension. Unlike the previous punishment, it wasn’t cut in half upon appeal. Jackson finally returned this week … but as he noted, the return was different, including whether Payton himself reached out.
“He hadn’t really gave me a message,” Jackson said Thursday. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
Kareem Jackson said Thursday that unlike when he made a previous return from a suspension, Sean Payton didn’t have a message for him as he came back. “He hadn’t really gave me a message,” Jackson said. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.” pic.twitter.com/c5cKd5hLcs
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 23, 2023
In regards to Kareem Jackson playing on Sunday, it appears to be the latter. The Broncos opted not to move him to the 53-player roster in time for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, meaning that he will miss a seventh game so far this season.
For Jackson to play, the Broncos would have needed to add him to their roster by Saturday.
The Broncos have until Monday to decide whether to restore Jackson to the primary roster — a detail that Broncos coach Sean Payton noted on multiple occasions throughout the week.
“Officially by Monday, if he comes up, someone else has to come down,” Payton said Wednesday. “We’re at 53 plus him, and then we’ll figure out how we’ll handle it relative to this week and going forward.”
With Jackson out, P.J. Locke is expected to make his sixth start this season. Second-year veteran Delarrin Turner-Yell is the primary backup.
BEYOND KAREEM JACKSON …
The Broncos used two practice-squad elevations Saturday, bumping up quarterback Ben DiNiucci and edge rusher Ronnie Perkins. The Broncos waived Perkins last week to make room for tight end Lucas Krull on the 53-player roster, but can now use three practice-squad elevations on Perkins in the next three weeks if they so desire.
