The Denver Broncos got closer to being whole, namely with Jaylen Waddle returning to practice.
The Broncos have endured a slew of injuries, even amid their plan to mitigate some of the risk by limiting participation proactively.
Waddle is by far the biggest name among the group, but he is hardly the only one that the Broncos were hoping to get back, while several others remained sidelined during Monday’s practice session.
Jaylen Waddle News Bodes Well for Broncos
GettyThe Broncos received a promising update on Jaylen Waddle.
The Broncos’ return to the practice field before facing the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 of the preseason got an encouraging boost from Waddle’s return, along with several key teammates.
“Returning to practice: Jaylen Waddle, Jaleel McLaughlin, Nate Adkins, Alex Forsyth, Dasan McCullough, Luke Wattenberg,Alex Palczewski,” 9News’ Mike Klis reported on X on August 17. “Not practicing: Drew Sanders.
“Marvin Mims practiced early then moved to side rehab field.”
While their levels of participation varied, the fact that Waddle and his fellow injured Broncos were able to get on the practice field in any capacity is a step in the right direction.
DNVR’s Zac Stevens highlighted the development as “great news” for the Broncos, who experienced a rash of injuries in a string of practices ahead of their preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Broncos still won, downing the Falcons 27-7 in Atlanta.
Broncos Can Breathe a Sigh of Relief
GettyJaylen Waddle’s return crosses a concern off the list for the Broncos.
Waddle was the Broncos’ big offseason get. They surrendered their first-round draft pick in a package to secure Waddle in a trade with the Miami Dolphins
He has been impressive during the offseason program and training camp, but hit a roadblock with what Broncos head coach Sean Payton called a strain. Again, though, Payton also noted the Broncos would take precautions with players.
On Monday, Payton further allayed fears about Waddle.
Waddle has missed multiple practice sessions, and the NFL does not force teams to provide daily updates on player injuries during this period.
“I think we got a lot of time still,” Payton told reporters on August 17 when asked about lost time. “We had good work this week this weekend. There’s been a lot of time on task already. We’re being smart with it, and he’s coming along really good. So, we’ll see how this week unfolds.”
Waddle was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2021 draft.
He has appeared in no fewer than 14 games in any of his five previous NFL seasons, which is an encouraging trend for the Broncos to keep in mind amid his current setback.
Broncos Get ‘Great News’ on Jaylen Waddle Amid Extensive Injury Update