ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — All signs point to Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders playing Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Sanders was a full participant in the Broncos’ walkthrough practice Tuesday.
If he does play as expected, Sanders will be working on snapping his two-game slump. He has just two catches for 9 yards in his past two games after getting 23 catches for 298 yards in his first four games.
Sanders was bothered by a knee injury last week that caused him to miss the second half of the Broncos’ game Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
Second-round role switch
Yes, the Broncos have a second-round defensive lineman who has been inactive on game day. But it’s Adam Gotsis, not DeMarcus Walker.
Gotsis, a second-round pick from 2016, has been inactive the past two games and it sounds as if he may not get a game jersey on Thursday, either. He declined an interview request by 9News last week.
“Naturally he was disappointed,’’ Fangio said. “We talked about it, but he’s handled it well as a good teammate would.”
Walker played in just 13 games – three last season – since he was the Broncos’ second-round selection in 2017, but he has 3.0 sacks in six games this year.
“I can’t comment on what happened before I was here, but since we’ve gotten here, he’s been a really good worker,’’ Fangio said. “The guy likes football, which to me is important especially in a defensive lineman. He’s been competing and taking advantage of his opportunities and his reps, but he’s been that way from the start and he’s getting a little bit better each and every week.”
Bronco Bits
Duke Dawson Jr. was going to start at cornerback against Tennessee but in the Thursday practice before the game, he badly bruised his heel. Fangio said Dawson will be ready to play Thursday although Davontae Harris will start opposite Chris Harris Jr.
Von Miller beat Mitchell Schwartz for 3.0 sacks in the first game against Kansas City in 2016, but the Broncos’ star pass rusher has just a half-sack in five games against Schwartz since.
“One of the best in the league,’’ Miller said of Schwartz. “If not the best, he’s definitely top two.’’
SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Sports
