When the Denver Broncos placed center Luke Wattenberg on injured reserve on Christmas Day, they knew a few things would have to fall their way to see him again this season.
The main thing was the Broncos needed to advance to at least the AFC Championship Game if they wanted the 6-foot-5, 300-pound Wattenberg back on the field.
Headed into Sunday’s AFC title game at home against the New England Patriots, here the Broncos are and there Wattenberg is, with a chance to return to the field. It’s happening when his team needs him more than ever, with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham stepping in to replace injured starter Bo Nix.
“Luke Wattenberg is eligible to return off IR this week and play in the AFC Championship,” DNVR’s Zac Stevens wrote on X on Tuesday, January 20. “When originally placed on IR, Sean Payton indicated his timetable to return would be right around the 4 week IR mark. So there’s a chance he’s back this week.”
Shoulder Injury Sidelined Wattenberg
Wattenberg appeared to injure his shoulder in a 34-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16 which snapped the Broncos’ 11-game winning streak.
“The Broncos placed starting C Luke Wattenberg on IR today with a shoulder injury,” NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo wrote on X. “He’s out through the first two playoff games with an injury that’s still being evaluated to determine if he can return later in the postseason.”
Wattenberg signed a 4-year, $48 million contract extension on November 25 that made him one of the Top 10 highest paid players at his position in the NFL.
The team bounced back to win its final 2 games of the regular season with Alex Forsyth starting at center. Forsyth started 4 games for the Broncos at center in 2024 when Wattenberg was out with an ankle injury.
Broncos Have One of NFL’s Elite Centers
When Wattenberg is on the field, there’s little doubt he’s one of the NFL’s very best at his position.
Wattenberg’s 70.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus this season put him ninth among 40 eligible players at his position.
“Center Luke Wattenberg has been placed on IR,” Broncos.com’s Alec DiLalla wrote on X. “Had played all 1,005 of the Broncos’ offensive snaps to start the season.”
Wattenberg was a fifth round pick in the 2022 NFL draft out of the University of Washington and became the full-time starter for the first time in 2024.
In 2025, he’d started all 15 games before being placed on injured reserve.
His come-up in the NFL went against projections for him headed into the 2022 NFL draft, where NFL draft expert Lance Zierlein predicted he would be signed as a priority free agent and had little chance of making a 53-man roster.
“Wattenberg has played a lot of football over his six years at Washington, but a career in the NFL might not be in the cards,” Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “He lacks the ability to anchor in and battle against bigger players across from him. He’s athletic in space, has good length and can get to most run blocks, but playing with functional strength to get wins on reps might be too great a challenge at the next level.”
Broncos Get Positive Injury News on 6-foot-5, 300-Pound Starter