Broncos can breathe; Jerry Jeudy injury bad, but not awful

For Jerry Jeudy, examination of his injured hamstring revealed bad news. But it could have been worse.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Jeudy suffered a “moderate” hamstring injury that will require him to miss the next “several” weeks of work.

Broncos coach Sean Payton confirmed the injury after practice, but said that further evaluation would reveal the severity.

Jeudy suffered the injury while running an end-around during practice Thursday. He grabbed his hamstring as team medical personnel rushed to him. They helped him onto a cart moments later, and subsequently back to the locker room.

#Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy is expected to miss several weeks with a moderate hamstring injury suffered today in practice, per me and @TomPelissero.

That puts Jeudy’s status in question for Week 1. But there’s optimism it’s nothing long term for one of Denver’s top weapons. pic.twitter.com/KNv0QAUDOR

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 24, 2023

THE POTENTIAL TIMELINE FOR JERRY JEUDY

The timeline of “several weeks” could bring a stint on injured reserve into play. However, the Broncos would have to keep Jerry Jeudy on the 53-player squad for one day after the roster deadline, which comes at 2 p.m. MDT next Tuesday. They can’t place him on injured reserve now; if they did, he’d be out for the season.

The nature of hamstring injuries also matters. As the Broncos have experienced with players such as Greg Dulcich and the recently-waived KJ Hamler, hamstring issues can be finicky and linger. Denver’s best play could be to be patient with Jeudy to minimize the chance of recurrence during the regular season.

If the Broncos place Jeudy on IR after the regular season begins, he’d have to stay there for four weeks before potentially returning in Week 5. If they avoid doing that, he could return at any time.

Jeudy missed two games last season due to an ankle injury. One year earlier, a high-ankle sprain suffered in the third quarter of the regular-season opener against the New York Giants sidelined him for six games.

Upon Jeudy’s return from last year’s ankle injury, he played the best football of his career. The six games after that issue saw him catch 37 passes for 523 yards and 3 touchdowns. He caught at least 4 passes in each of those games and amassed 65 or more yards all but once during that stretch.

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