ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos have lost rookie tight end Albert Okwuegbunam for the rest of the season after an MRI exam Monday revealed a torn ACL in his right knee, sources told 9NEWS.
He suffered the injury while making a 7-yard catch to convert a third-and-6 late in the third quarter of the Broncos 34-27 loss Sunday to the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which has artificial turf.
Drafted in the fourth round out of Missouri, where he was a favorite red-zone target of quarterback Drew Lock, Okwuegbunam was inactive through the Broncos’ first four games, then started making contributions as a receiver in the next four. He was a huge contributor in the Broncos’ rally from 21 points down to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers, 31-30 last Sunday as he caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Lock, plus drew two pass interference penalties on the final, game-winning drive.
Okwuegbunam finishes his first year with 11 catches for 121 yards.
Albert Okwuegbunam vs. Falcons
And so the Broncos’ long list of season-ending injuries continues (see list).
Albert O, as he’s called, will become the 13th player on the Broncos’ injured reserve list. Four other players were on IR earlier this season but have returned. The IR list includes such stars as Von Miller, Courtland Sutton and Jurrell Casey.
Players currently on injured reserve (12):
- Barron, Mark
- Beck, Andrew
- Bellamy, LeVante
- Butt, Jake
- Casey, Jurrell
- Fort, Austin
- Miller, Von
- Purcell, Mike
- Strnad, Justin
- Sutton, Courtland
- Tuszka, Derrek
- Wilkinson, Elijah
Currently on reserve/non-football injury (1):
- Harris, Jonathan
Returned from injured reserve (4):
- Bouye, A.J.
- Calitro, Austin
- Jones, Dre’Mont
- Walker, DeMarcus
Broncos podcast: Klis' Mike Drop
Denver Broncos headlines, game previews and interviews with our 9NEWS insider Mike Klis.
HOW TO LISTEN
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Sports
MORE WAYS TO GET 9NEWS
Subscribe to our daily 9NEWSLETTER
Download the 9NEWS APP
iTunes: http://on9news.tv/itunes
Google Play: http://on9news.tv/1lWnC5n
HOW TO ADD THE 9NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KUSA.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "9news" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.