ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Odds are growing the Broncos may have to take on defensive line stalwarts Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams and the Baltimore Ravens without their two starting offensive guards.
Left guard Dalton Risner (foot) and right Graham Glasgow (knee) both missed another day of practice Thursday because of their injuries.
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There’s still another practice Friday and walkthrough Saturday, but until then, Quinn Meinerz and Netane Muti are getting the reps this week at left and right guard, respectively.
Muti has played – he started one game last season and the Jacksonville game this season in relief of Glasgow. But Meinerz sat out last season along with his Wisconsin Whitewater Division III program because of the COVID-19 pandemic and was inactive in the first two games of his rookie year with the Broncos, until he replaced the hobbled Risner in the third quarter last Sunday against the New York Jets.
“I thought he did well for getting thrown in there,’’ Broncos head coach Vic Fangio said. “Backups don’t get a lot of reps during the week, and I thought he did fine. Sometimes that’s the best way to go get your first action—cold turkey. Now he knows there’s a possibility he might have to play this week. Hopefully he’s not getting overwhelmed.”
Risner appears to have a better chance of playing Sunday than Glasgow, but by not practicing Thursday, both are highly questionable.
“Muti and Meinerz are good players, and if they need to go Sunday, we’ll be ready,'' Fangio said. "Continuity is always important, but when injuries happen, you test your depth. Right now, our depth has been doing good.”
Bronco Bits
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson missed his second consecutive practice Thursday with a bad back. Not that Broncos practice squad receiver De’Mornay Pierson-El spent any time imitating backup Tyler Huntley during scout team work this week. “No. 1, I’m pretty damn sure (Jackson will) play,’’ Fangio said. “They would run a similar offense with the other guy.” …
Pierson-El is the first practice squad receiver to play quarterback since Kendall Hinton did so in a regular-season game last year against New Orleans. “You can’t do it, really,’’ Fangio said of giving his defense a simulation of the great Jackson. “The guy, however fast he is—nobody ever got a 40 time on him, but my eyes tell me he’s really fast, and he’s shifty and elusive. Their run game is very upper-level schematic stuff. Our scout team did a pretty good job yesterday of running it for us.” …
Running back Melvin Gordon III has been limited in practice this week because of ribs and lower leg injuries. He is expected to play against the Ravens. Backup outside linebacker Andre Mintz has been limited by a hamstring issue, but there is hope he, too, will be able to play. …
Fangio hasn’t decided whether running back Mike Boone or new slot receiver David Moore will play this week. Boone is practicing this week for the first time since he pulled his quad while carrying the ball in a joint practice against the Minnesota Vikings on August 12.