Sean Payton didn’t sugarcoat the loss of Michael Deiter.
The Broncos backup center suffered a quad injury on Tuesday that will wipe out his 2026 season before it ever gets started, Payton said Wednesday after practice. Deiter is set for corrective surgery and is likely headed to injured reserve.
“Feel bad for him,” Payton told reporters following Wednesday’s practice.
Deiter, a former Dolphins third-round pick, is back for his second season in Denver after first landing with the team’s practice squad in January and then earning a futures deal. The soon-to-be 30-year-old has also spent time with Miami, Houston and Washington.
His injury leaves Denver shuffling again in the middle. Deiter had been filling in at center while starter Luke Wattenberg and backup Alex Forsyth were both dealing with injuries of their own. Neither Wattenberg nor Forsyth took part in drills Wednesday.
That pushed veteran guard-by-trade Calvin Throckmorton into the center spot. There’s a chance, and maybe more than a chance, that he stays there for Friday’s preseason opener at Atlanta before handing things off to undrafted rookie C Gavin Ortega.
“We’ll work through it. We have guys that are flexible. We’ll be fine," Payton said Tuesday.
Denver plans to use its starters for only 15 snaps against the Falcons, so it’s hard to imagine All-Pro right guard Quinn Meinerz being asked to slide over to center in a game that won’t count. Still, Meinerz said he’d be willing to do it if the situation carries into the regular season.
He also pointed to how important it is for the starting front five - especially Wattenberg - to get back on the field together quickly and build chemistry before the games matter most.
“We’re able to get into the level 400 of our offense a lot quicker because we already have a base foundation and fundamentals of how we want to do things," Meinerz told reporters Tuesday. "Now we’re looking at efficiencies, now we’re looking at not only winning the block, but being dominant with that block and understanding that there’s an emphasis in the rushing game this year for us.
So just constantly grinding in our individual period to make sure that those reps are feeling good, ‘Hey, are my hands good here? Hey, was my hat...
Did I give you enough help here?’ There’s always constant little feedback here, and I think what’s most fun is how much smaller the communication’s going to get on the line of scrimmage because when an offensive line’s able to communicate so little, there’s a lot less tells for the defense to be able to pick up on.”
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Broncos Just Sparked A Real Troy Franklin Debate In Camp
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Broncos Preseason Opener Suddenly Carries More Pressure Than Expected
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The quarterback battle behind Wilson is still open, with Jarrett Stidham slated to handle the first half and Sam Ehlinger to take the second in the preseason game. Denver also got some encouraging practice participation from players coming off injuries, including J.K. Dobbins and Brandon Key, but the day was not without a setback after center Michael Deiter went down with a season-ending quad injury. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Just Sent A Telling Message About Their Safety Depth
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The workout also puts a little extra spotlight on the names competing for backup roles, with the Broncos still sorting through options as camp moves into game week. Whether Rapp is more than a one-day stop remains to be seen, but the visit itself is a useful reminder that Denver does not appear ready to simply hand out those reserve safety jobs without another round of evaluation. [Read more 🡒]