Tyler Badie practices for the first time since September
Dec 24, 2024, 2:29 PM
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Tyler Badie became something of a cult hero in September to Denver Broncos fans before he collapsed on the sideline during the second quarter of their Week 4 win of the New York Jets.
And now, for the first time since those scary moments, Badie is back at practice. Tuesday, the Broncos started the 21-day clock on a potential Badie return to the 53-player roster from injured reserve.
Badie looked to be establishing a place in the Broncos’ running-back rotation prior to the injury. In 11 carries from the Week 2 loss to Pittsburgh to early in that Jets game, he picked up 86 yards — 43 of which came on a single gallop late in the Sept. 22 win at Tampa Bay. But he averaged 4.3 yards per attempt on his other 10 carries, showing signs of consistency.
But those hopes were temporarily dashed moments after being hit by Jets linebacker Quincy Williams. Badie fell to the ground in the Broncos’ bench area, suffering what turned out to be a back injury that sent him to a nearby hospital for evaluation. He subsequently landed on injured reserve.
Through the weeks, hope lingered for a potential Badie return. Those hopes received tangible evidence of fruition earlier this month when the Broncos chose not to activate wide receiver Josh Reynolds from injured reserve, opting to waive him instead. With the Broncos running low on activations from injured reserve, they wanted to save one for Badie.
If Badie can get up to speed quickly and play Saturday, he would have to navigate the kind of rainy conditions that greeted the Broncos against the Jets in Week 3.
Broncos game looks rough on Saturday…rain/wind. Rain could be heavy (and heavier than the Jets game in September).
Still some hope the worst of it holds off until postgame…but prep for rain, Bo.
— Chris Bianchi (@bianchiweather.bsky.social) December 24, 2024 at 9:06 AM
Also on the practice field Tuesday were cornerback Riley Moss and running back Jaleel McLaughlin. Both players were held out last week after practicing on a limited basis leading up to the game.
Moss has not played since suffering an MCL injury on Nov. 24. McLaughlin suffered a quadriceps injury against the Indianapolis Colts on Dec. 15.
Not seen on the field at the start of practice were practice-squad edge rusher Andrew Farmer and cornerback Levi Wallace. 9NEWS and 104.3 The Fan insider Mike Klis is reporting the Broncos have waived Wallace. He had not played since struggling against Cleveland, allowing 154 yards and a touchdown on 6 catches, per the data compiled by Pro Football Focus.
