ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Follow along here. Josey Jewell missed the last 15 games of last season because of injury. He will now miss at least the first game of this season because of another injury.
In between, he got a new contract that will pay him $6 million this season. What a country.
Considered a leader of the Denver defense when healthy, Jewell tweaked his calf during an individual drill in practice Thursday and missed the final two practices of the week. Head coach Nathaniel Hackett listed Jewell as doubtful on the Broncos’ final injury report of the week Saturday. But Jewell was downgraded to “out” on Sunday, meaning he will not play in the Broncos’ season opener Monday night against the Seahawks at Lumen Field.
Fortunately for the Broncos, they also signed free-agent inside linebacker Alex Singleton to a one-year deal this offseason. Singleton will start in Jewell's place.
"Everyone on this defense is prepared to play. If I get a chance at the call, it's go time,'' Singleton said at his locker Saturday.
Undrafted out of Montana State in 2015, Singleton bounced around between the Seahawks, Patriots, Vikings and Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League before catching on with the Philadelphia Eagles where he led them in tackles the previous two years with 120 and 137.
So when Griffith and Jewell were getting all the first-team reps in training camp, Singleton knew how to stay patient.
"I love playing football,'' Singleton said. "You get to come out here every day and do this for a living, it's the greatest thing in the world. And you can take those mental reps every single day and here it is week 1, and you start in camp, so we've got a ton of reps in the last three, four months."
Singleton figures to start alongside fellow inside linebacker Jonas Griffith in the season opener against the Seahawks. Griffith returned less than four weeks from a dislocated elbow suffered in the Broncos’ preseason opener last month.
Justin Strnad is the only healthy backup inside linebacker on the Broncos' 53-man roster.
It’s been an unfortunate run of bad injury luck for Jewell, who missed just one game in his final three seasons at Iowa, and only one game in his first three seasons after the Broncos selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 draft.
In 2020, inside linebackers Alexander Johnson and Jewell were the Broncos’ top two tacklers with 124 and 110, respectively. Both suffered season-ending torn pectoral injuries that required surgeries last season – Jewell in game 2 at Jacksonville and Johnson in game 6 against the Raiders.
The Broncos so badly missed Jewell they re-signed him to a two-year, $11 million contract that is guaranteed for this season at $6 million. Johnson has yet to catch on with a team.
The Broncos also listed edge rusher Randy Gregory (shoulder/knee), right tackle Billy Turner (knee) and receiver KJ Hamler (knee/hipo) as questionable. All seemed to be on pace to play in the season opener but all are coming off significant surgeries.
Gregory and Hamler are expected to play. Turner is truly 50-50. If he needs another week or two, the Broncos would start Cam Fleming or Calvin Anderson at right tackle.
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