Broncos expect to have NFL’s leader in QB hits available Sunday

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Broncos defensive end Zach Allen is good to go for Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas.

The NFL’s leader in quarterback hits this season — and last year, too — had full practice participation Friday and was not listed with any kind of injury designation on the Broncos’ final injury report of the week, clearing up his status for Denver’s game against the Raiders.

Allen, who has 31 quarterback hits this year and amassed 40 during the 2024 campaign, did not practice Thursday due to a calf injury.

“He’s all good,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said.

Payton has tried to limit Allen’s snaps a bit this year after he played a whopping 89 percent of the Broncos’ defensive snaps in 2024. This year, Allen is down to 73 percent.

“Now we’re trying to pay attention to his pitch count a little bit better,” Payton said. “It was a little too much last year.”

Added Payton a few moments later: “It’s just being aware of how much you’re [playing], that’s going to help him and us. And so it’s just monitoring it. … When you’re playing inside, you’re playing defensive line, these are short wrestling matches every six seconds and there’s a fatigue element to it.”

Also set to go is wide receiver Pat Bryant, who was limited for a second-straight day due to a hamstring issue. The Broncos did not list him with a “questionable” or “out” designation on their injury report.

The same will not be true for Allen’s fellow starter up front, D.J. Jones. Denver ruled him out for the game after he missed a third-consecutive practice due to the ankle injury he suffered in the fourth quarter last Sunday against the Washington Commanders.

Tight end Nate Adkins was also ruled out for Sunday’s game.

JONES’ ABSENCE SETS UP MORE SNAPS FOR OTHERS

With Jones sidelined, more of the burden will likely fall on Enyi Uwazurike, who has emerged as one of the NFL’s more efficient run defenders this season.

Last year, Uwazurike played in just four games as he reacclimated to the NFL following a 2023 season lost to a league suspension following the filing of gambling charges — for which he was subsequently cleared — in Iowa.

“He was like a big ball of clay, where all of a sudden you’re starting to see the technique and the leverage and the power,” Payton said.

“And it’s hard for anyone if you’re just gone a year. Like, for any of us. Think about just being gone a year and then hopping back into your job. And to see him do that and now, to see him, he comes to work with a great attitude.

“… Sometimes, when you play a position he plays, it goes unnoticed. But [he is] a big part of what we’re doing and why we’re successful, especially in the run game and then pushing the pocket.”

The Broncos are also expected to activate either Jordan Jackson or Sai’vion Jones. Jackson hasn’t played since Week 5; Jones’ only work this season came in Week 4 against Cincinnati.

BEYOND THE BRONCOS: CROSBY QUESTIONABLE

In Las Vegas, perennial Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby missed a second-consecutive day of practice due to a knee injury, leaving him questionable for the game, along with four other starters: linebacker Jamal Adams, safety Jeremy Chinn, center Jordan Meredith and left guard Dylan Parham.

Crosby has averaged more than a sack per game in his career against the Broncos, with 15.5 sacks in 13 career Broncos-Raiders games. The Broncos have held him without a sack in the last two games in the series.

Raiders tight end Michael Mayer, who did not practice all week, was one of two players ruled out; the other was backup wide receiver Alex Bachman.

Related

The Broncos’ preseason loss to the Packers was the wake-up call they neededBroncos’ addition of veteran safety Rapp wasn’t necessarily about necessity, Payton saysBo Nix looked good to Sean Payton in his first appearance back on the fieldSean Payton provides encouraging update on Riley Moss and his rib injuryBroncos star CB Pat Surtain II again voted a top-10 player in the NFLIn Broncos loss, they got a win in something specific that truly mattered