ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — There was some unfortunate developments, and some good, as the Broncos made a series of transactions Saturday ahead of their game Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The bad news: Two starters, , receiver Josh Reynolds and center Luke Wattenberg, landed on injured reserve. Reynolds suffered a finger injury in the first quarter of the Broncos' 34-18 win last week against the Las Vegas Raiders. Reynolds stayed in the game and caught a 9-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter but the finger injury worsened to the point he had to undergo surgery earlier this week.
Wattenberg had been battling an injured right ankle for a couple weeks and it became aggravated during Bo Nix's 1-yard touchdown leap over center in the fourth quarter.
Both Reynolds and Wattenberg are expected to return this season, but they will be miss at least the next four games.
Devaughn Vele, a rookie receiver, and second-year center Alex Forsyth, are expected to replace Reynolds and Wattenberg, respectively, on the Broncos' game-day roster Sunday.
The good medical news: Rookie running back Audric Estime was activated from injured reserve to the 53-man roster. Estime suffered an ankle injury in the Broncos' season-opening loss at Seattle and missed the previous four games. It would seem likely Estime will replace another rookie, Blake Watson, as the Broncos' No. 3 running back behind Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin for the game against the Chargers.
The Broncos also promoted safety Tanner McCalister from their practice squad to their 53-man roster. McCalister had already been elevated for two games from the practice squad.
Speaking of which, the Broncos are elevating two veteran offensive linemen, tackle Cam Fleming and guard Calvin Throckmorton, from the practice squad to the game-day roster Sunday.
Fleming played three previous seasons as a starter/backup for the Broncos. He had been a free agent without a job through the first five weeks of this season until the Broncos needed right tackle depth following the injuries to Mike McGlinchey and Alex Palczewski. Matt Peart, a five-year veteran backup, will start at right tackle Sunday.
Throckmorton was a 14-game starter for the New Orleans Saints at left guard for head coach Sean Payton in 2021. He has also played for Carolina and Tennessee before reuniting with Payton in Denver before the start of the Broncos' offseason program in April.
3 Broncos fined
The NFL hit the bank accounts of three Broncos from their game last week against the Las Vegas Raiders, administering fines to defensive end John Franklin-Myers, defensive tackle Malcolm Roach and fullback Michael Burton.
Franklin-Myers was docked $14,069 for an unsportsmanlike penalty he received during a Raiders' consolation touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.
Roach was fined $11,255 for what was deemed a late-hit infraction in the third quarter, even though he wasn't penalized in-game. Fullback Michael Burton was fined $7,653 for a blindside block in the third quarter even though he, too, was not penalized during the game.
All fines are subject to appeal and in almost every instance are appealed.
