The Broncos are going to be light at outside linebacker on Thursday night at Kansas City.
Denver on Wednesday ruled veteran Frank Clark (illness) and Baron Browning (knee) out for the Week 6 matchup against the Chiefs and did the same with defensive lineman D.J. Jones (knee).
Browning remains on the physically unable to perform list and has yet to play this season.
He had knee surgery during the offseason and knew from then on that he wouldn’t be ready in time for the start of the regular season. Through training camp, though, he made good progress and should be close to a return. Just not this week.
Clark was not on Denver’s estimated injury report Monday but then developed an illness and didn’t practice Tuesday.
Jones dropped out of Sunday’s loss to the Jets late in the first half and did not return.
The injury report had better news elsewhere for the Broncos, who will get running back Javonte Williams back from a hip flexor injury that kept him out of Sunday’s game against New York.
Payton said Tuesday that Williams might have played against the Jets had it been a playoff game or similarly critical situation. Instead, they gave him a few extra days to get past the injury entirely.
Safety Justin Simmons (hip/groin), center Lloyd Cushenberry (quad), defensive tackle Mike Purcell (ribs) and inside linebacker Justin Strnad (back) are also off the injury report and cleared to play.
Dulcich could return. Tight end Greg Dulcich (hamstring) is on track to potentially be activated off injured reserve for Thursday night’s game.
The second-year player returned to practice for the first time Tuesday and was a limited participant. The Broncos only had a walkthrough Wednesday and therefore provided estimations, but said Dulcich would have been a full participant.
He’s listed as questionable for Thursday’s game, but Denver on Wednesday released wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey, which creates a roster spot for Dulcich should they decide to activate him.
Payton on Tuesday was bullish about Dulcich’s return timeline, saying he’d been “working his tail off” and that he was close to a return. That despite the second-year tight end dealing with multiple injuries to the same hamstring over the 18 months since the Broncos drafted him in the third round of the 2022 draft.
The Broncos have a practice squad spot available after waiving Michael Bandy earlier this week and the expectation is that they will try to sign Humphrey back to that group. He began the season on the practice squad before getting promoted in Week 2.
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.
