Broncos receiver KJ Hamler, who played 40 snaps against Seattle in his first regular season game since last September’s ACL injury, will not play Sunday against Houston.
Hamler missed all three days of practice this week and worked out on a side field Friday during the media viewing period.
“Part of the maintenance,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said of managing Hamler’s health. “We want to be sure we can get him to as many games as we possibly can. He’s been doing some great things and getting great reps.”
The Broncos will have Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy as the top two receivers, followed by Tyrie Cleveland, Montrell Washington and Jalen Virgil.
Right guard Quinn Meinerz (hamstring) was also ruled out and will be replaced by Graham Glasgow.
Listed as questionable are inside linebacker Josey Jewell (calf), outside linebacker Randy Gregory (shoulder), cornerback K’Waun Williams (wrist), right tackle Billy Turner (knee) and defensive end DeShawn Williams (back).
Jewell returned to practice for the first time since last week. Turner and K’Waun Williams were full-go in practice Friday.
Bassey’s promotion. Broncos cornerback Essang Bassey showed versatility in training camp, playing the nickel spot when K’Waun Williams missed time (knee) and was held out of the preseason games. But Bassey was waived after the initial 53-man roster was set and signed to the practice squad.
“It’s a business and they made their decision and I was just focused on moving forward to the next thing and I ended up back here,” he said. “It feels good to just be a part of it again.”
After the initial roster cut, general manager George Paton said Bassey, “can do everything. He can play inside, he play outside and he’s played a little safety.”
Said Bassey: “You have to be versatile to last in the league and I realized that early in my career and I knew I had to be able to do a lot of things to stick around.”
Beck’s career game. In his first 38 games for the Broncos, fullback/tight end Andrew Beck caught nine passes for 90 yards. Against Seattle, he had two catches for 52 yards, both on the first drive.
“He’s done that all through training camp,” Hackett said. “He’s a guy that, when we evaluated him, we thought that he was definitely going to be able to contribute with that (two-back) personnel package. Now watching him being able to catch the ball and do things with it in his hands, it gives you a lot of options when he’s out on the field.”
Simple, but effective. Houston coach Lovie Smith remains a “Tampa Two” coverage loyalist. The scheme calls for three downfield defenders — a linebacker in the middle third and two safeties on the outer thirds.
“It’s awesome to see,” Hackett said. “It’s back to when I first got in the league. Their linebackers, they play fast and furious. It’s unbelievable. It’s simple, but they execute it almost to perfection.”
Briefly. The Broncos will recognize the Avalanche prior to Sunday’s kickoff and during the first timeout of the first quarter. The Stanley Cup was at the Broncos’ facility Thursday. … Cut by Buffalo after the preseason, veteran tight end O.J. Howard signed with Houston and caught two touchdown passes against Indianapolis. “He’s a big guy that can run,” Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero said. “They do a good job of getting him in situations where you think they’re going to run the ball and then they get him vertically down the field.” … For fans using post-game rideshare, the location has been moved south of the stadium on eastbound Howard Place, adjacent to the Decatur-Federal RTD station and parking lot M.
