Broncos place two starters on injured reserve

The Denver Broncos will have to make do without their starting center and one of their first-team wide receivers for at least the next four games.

The team placed wide receiver Josh Reynolds and center Luke Wattenberg on injured reserve Saturday with finger and ankle injuries, respectively. Both did not practice throughout the week. Reynolds underwent finger surgery late in the week.

Along with Reynolds and Wattenberg, right tackle Alex Palczewski also did not practice this week and was ruled out on Friday. But his recovery is expected to be quicker.

Taking the spots of Reynolds and Wattenberg on the 53-player roster will be running back Audric Estimé and safety Tanner McAlister. The Broncos recalled Estimé from injured reserve Saturday, while McAlister has been a practice-squad elevation in each of the previous two weeks, playing 29 snaps on special teams.

Center Alex Forsyth filled in for Wattenberg last week and is expected to start Sunday. It would be the first career start for Forsyth, who was in a 3-way fight for the center job with Wattenberg and Sam Mustipher last spring and summer.

Alex Forsyth, set to start for the Broncos at center in place of the injured Luke Wattenberg, says that the area he’s improved the most in this year is in working on combination blocks.

“It’s tough when you’re during camp to rotating and stuff, working with different guys… pic.twitter.com/ykRyIoN2yv

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 12, 2024

The immediate task of replacing Reynolds will likely fall to veteran Lil’Jordan Humphrey, but the chain reaction should mean more chances for Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims Jr., as well as a game-day activation for Devaughn Vele, who hasn’t played since catching 8 passes in Week 1 and suffering a cracked rib.

The Broncos can recall up to eight players from injured reserve during the season. They used their first activation from IR on Estimé and began practicing cornerback Damarri Mathis on Wednesday, starting the clock on a 21-day period with which they can work out Mathis and decide whether to restore him to the 53-player roster.

But the Broncos seem poised to go through their eight recalls in a hurry. Two first-teamers — right tackle Mike McGlinchey and edge rusher Baron Browning — are in their fourth weeks on injured reserve — with four weeks being the minimum amount of a time a player must remain on IR. Running back Tyler Badie, who emerged last last month, also landed on IR last week.

Denver will also elevate offensive linemen Calvin Throckmorton and Cam Fleming from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Their elevations were necessary due to the injuries to Wattenberg and Palczewski.

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