Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy misses early season
Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy suffered a hamstring injury during Thursday's combine practice with the Los Angeles Rams. Jeudy is the fifth Broncos wide receiver to be injured in the preseason.
Jeudy, the Broncos' top receiver, went down with a non-contact injury on the final play of the game. He required ambulance help on the sidelines.
The Broncos said Jeudy could miss several weeks, which would shorten the start of the regular season. Hamstring injuries at wide receivers can take four to six weeks to heal, depending on the severity of the strain.
Normally in our system, we move receivers in and out," head coach Sean Payton said."But Jerry plays the Z-slot position for us. There are many of us. Hopefully this isn't too long term. "
Jeudy caught 67 passes for 972 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games last season. In 2022, he missed three games due to a severe ankle sprain.
Another week, another WR injury
The Broncos' bad luck continues. During the first week of training camp, veteran wide receiver Tim Patrick tore his Achilles tendon during a 7-on-7 drill. It's a devastating loss for Patrick, who missed the entire 2022 season with a torn ACL.
K.J. Hamler also announced that he would have to leave the team after being diagnosed with a heart condition called pericarditis. Hamler is expected to return to the Broncos once he adjusts to his new heart medication.
Jalen Virgil, a sophomore wide receiver from Appalachian State, suffered a knee injury last weekend in a preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers. The Broncos placed Vigil on injured reserve with a torn meniscus.
Despite injuries to wide receivers this season and in recent seasons, Payton doesn't believe the Broncos have suffered bad luck.
I don’t believe in snake bites,” Payton told The Athletic.
Johnson, a sophomore wide receiver at UCF, has missed the past few weeks with a leg injury. The Broncos came with some positive news when Johnson returned to the team this week.
Rookie Mims has a chance to advance
Without Jeudy in the starting lineup, Courtland Sutton moved up to No. 1 in the Broncos' WR rankings.
Rookie Marvin Mims, Jr. has been joining the starters in the final days of practice. Mims, a second-round pick out of Oklahoma State, will likely slide into the No. 2 WR spot by default.
Mims is making progress," Payton said."He's OK. It's nice that he's getting all those practice snaps and punt returns. "
The Broncos also currently have Johnson, Kendall Hinton, Max Callaway and Junior Jordan Humphrey on their roster. At the beginning of training camp, it looked like only a few would make the final breakthrough. But both could make the team with so many receivers injured.
Callaway and Humphrey played for Payton during his tenure as head coach of the New Orleans Saints until Payton stepped down after the 2021 season. Callaway scored six touchdowns in 17 games with the Saints in 2021. Jordan added two touchdowns in 10 games with the Saints in 2021.
With Jeudy expected to miss the start of the season, fantasy football owners should take another look at Mims and other rookie receivers in the upcoming draft.
Broncos Futures Market Outlook
The Broncos won just five games in quarterback Russell Wilson's first season in Denver. The outlook for this season is slightly brighter, but oddsmakers are still cautious about the Broncos overall. Naming Payton the new head coach is a step in the right direction. The jury is still out on Wilson, who suffered multiple injuries last season, including a severe concussion.
The Broncos’ win total is 8.5 wins/losses. That number hasn't changed despite Jeudy's injury and the Broncos losing several receivers.
The Broncos are the third favorite on the board, with odds of +550 to win the AFC West. The Kansas City Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions and the best team in the division after winning their seventh straight AFC West title. The Chiefs' odds of defending the division title are -165. The Los Angeles Chargers are their closest rival in the division at +340. The Broncos have odds of +4500 to win Super Bowl LLVIII and +3000 to win the AFC Championship.
According to DraftKings playoff bets, the Broncos are likely to miss the playoffs at -215 odds. You can bet on the Broncos at +180 odds to qualify for the playoffs.
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