DENVER - The Broncos got a clean bill of health on three key names Sunday, with defensive end Zach Allen, safety Brandon Jones and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle all active for their AFC West matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Allen and Waddle had been on the injury report all week. Neither practiced Wednesday, and both were limited over the final two days before the game. Jones showed up on Thursday with a hamstring issue and was also limited in Friday’s session, but all three were ultimately cleared to suit up.
Pat Surtain II is back as well, just as expected. The 2024 Defensive Player of the Year missed the previous three games with an ankle sprain.
The Broncos’ inactive list for the game includes TE Dallen Bentley, OL Kage Casey, S Sam Ehlinger, S Talanoa Hufanga, DL Jordan Jackson, DL Tyler Onyedim and DL Gavin Ortega. Ehlinger is in uniform as the No. 3 quarterback.
Hufanga will sit out for a third straight game after hurting his ankle in the Broncos’ Week 5 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. He has not practiced since the injury.
Running back Cody Schrader is also in uniform for a regular-season game for the first time since joining the team last December. Schrader is up as a practice-squad elevation because Tyler Badie and RJ Harvey are on injured reserve.
The Broncos’ Week 8 inactive group also continues a familiar pattern. Bentley, Casey, Ehlinger, Hufanga, Jackson and Onyedim have all shown up repeatedly on the list this season, while Surtain’s absence in recent weeks had been tied to his ankle sprain.
Here’s how Denver’s inactive list has looked this season:
Week 1: RB Tyler Badie, TE Dallen Bentley, OL Kage Casey, QB Sam Ehlinger (emergency No. 3 QB), DL Jordan Jackson, DL Tyler Onyedim
Week 2: TE Dallen Bentley, OL Kage Casey, QB Sam Ehlinger (emergency No. 3 QB), RB RJ Harvey, DL Jordan Jackson, WR Marvin Mims Jr., DL Tyler Onyedim
Week 3: TE Dallen Bentley, OL Kage Casey, QB Sam Ehlinger (emergency No. 3 QB), WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey, DL Sai’vion Jones, WR Marvin Mims Jr., DL Tyler Onyedim
Week 4: TE Dallen Bentley, OL Kage Casey, QB Sam Ehlinger (emergency No. 3 QB), DL Tyler Onyedim, edge rusher Dondrea Tillman
Week 5: TE Dallen Bentley, OL Kage Casey, QB Sam Ehlinger (emergency No. 3 QB), DL Jordan Jackson, CB Riley Moss, DL Tyler Onyedim, CB Pat Surtain II
Week 6: TE Dallen Bentley, OL Kage Casey, QB Sam Ehlinger (in uniform as No. 3 QB), S Talanoa Hufanga, DL Jordan Jackson, DL Tyler Onyedim, CB Pat Surtain II
Week 7: TE Dallen Bentley, OL Kage Casey, QB Sam Ehlinger (in uniform as No. 3 QB), S Talanoa Hufanga, DL Jordan Jackson, DL Tyler Onyedim, CB Pat Surtain II
Week 8: TE Dallen Bentley, OL Kage Casey, QB Sam Ehlinger (in uniform as No. 3 QB), S Talanoa Hufanga, DL Jordan Jackson, DL Tyler Onyedim, OL Gavin Ortega
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Broncos Have One Overlooked Edge That Could Decide Chiefs Game
Special teams rarely get the headline billing in a Broncos-Chiefs matchup, but they can swing a game that figures to be tight in the margins. Denver enters with Wil Lutz giving it steady production on field goals, and the Broncos also appear to have an edge in the kicking and field-position battle thanks to Jeremy Crawshaw and Marvin Mims Jr., two pieces that can quietly change how the game is played.
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Broncos Need Jaylen Waddle In Massive Chiefs Showdown
Jaylen Waddles availability has become one of the biggest subplots heading into Denvers Week 8 trip to Kansas City. The Broncos wide receiver first dealt with a chest injury in Week 6, then aggravated it in a later game, leaving him questionable for a matchup that already carries plenty of weight. Denver has every reason to want him on the field, especially with Waddle having been targeted 45 times this season and already serving as a central part of the passing game.
The timing matters even more because the Chiefs are not at full strength on defense, with several key players either ruled out or on injured reserve. If Waddle can go, he should be involved early and often as Denver tries to take advantage of the matchup and keep pace in a game that could shape the AFC West race. For now, though, the Broncos are waiting to see whether their top receiver can answer the bell. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Still Have A Real AFC West Opening Even If Sunday Hurts
The Broncos have spent the past month living with little margin for error, and Sundays Week 8 matchup carries the kind of weight that can change the shape of their season. Denver has already taken two losses since Week 4, but the broader picture still looks workable, especially with a schedule that should give Sean Paytons team chances to steady itself if it can avoid letting one setback turn into a slide.
Kansas City remains the standard in the AFC West, but the Chiefs do not have a clean path either, and that matters for a Broncos team trying to hang around in the division race. Denver has also shown under Payton that it can usually answer losses the right way, which is why this game feels less like a season-defining final judgment and more like another test of whether the Broncos can keep the door open. [Read more 🡒]