The Broncos’ first six games in 2026 already look brutal, but one of the biggest early tests on that schedule may be arriving with some extra help from the injury report.
Denver is set to face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4, marking the first regular-season meeting between the two teams in the Sean Payton era. The 49ers won 12 games last season and made it to the Divisional Round before losing to the Seattle Seahawks.
On paper, that’s a tough enough matchup. In reality, San Francisco is already taking hits in training camp.
The biggest blow so far is wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who has been placed on season-ending injured reserve. Pearsall had played only 20 games across his first two seasons, but he still brought production in limited opportunities and looked set for a major role on offense this year.
The damage hasn’t stopped there. Rookie defensive end Mikail Kamara was carted off the field on Saturday with an apparent leg or knee injury, and San Francisco’s edge group is already in rough shape.
As Matt Barrows reported, Cam Sample is dealing with a knee issue, Romello Height’s status is unknown, Mykel Williams isn’t practicing, and Nick Bosa is limited to individual drills. That’s a thin spot becoming a critical one fast.
Health has been a recurring issue for the 49ers in recent years, and it’s become part of the conversation around the team again. Some have pointed to the electrical substation nearby, though there’s nothing substantive to suggest it has anything to do with player injuries.
San Francisco did bring Deebo Samuel back into the fold after he spent the 2025 season with the Washington Commanders. Even so, the roster still leans on familiar names like Samuel, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, and others.
If the injuries keep piling up, the Broncos could be catching a shortened version of a very dangerous team. Of course, Denver knows the same risk applies everywhere. Injuries hit every roster, and the Broncos will deal with their own at some point.
That’s the hard truth of the NFL. Ftnfantasy.com noted that the 49ers finished with the fifth-most adjusted games lost in the league in 2025, while the New England Patriots, Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, and Jacksonville Jaguars were among the healthiest teams. And as the numbers tend to show, staying on the field usually matters a whole lot when the games start counting.
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Hakeem Butler Is Giving Broncos Fans A Roster Battle To Watch
Hakeem Butler has given Broncos training camp an early jolt, flashing the kind of downfield ability that can turn a practice rep into a talking point. The wide receiver came to Denver after a standout run in the UFL and arrived with some NFL pedigree too, having once been a fourth-round pick by the Cardinals. For a team always looking for cheap upside at receiver, Butlers size and playmaking have made him one of the more interesting names on the field.
The challenge, of course, is that Denvers receiver room is crowded enough that impressive moments only go so far. Butler is trying to force his way into a rotation that already has established competition, and the first days of camp are really about putting his name in the conversation. For now, he has done that much, and the rest of August will decide whether those flashes become something more than a camp story. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Fans Can See The Stefon Diggs Debate Coming
The Broncos spent the offseason trying to clean up one of the biggest issues in their passing game, trading for Jaylen Waddle after a year in which they had the second-most drops in the NFL. It was the kind of move meant to steady a receiver room that has too often made life harder on the offense than it needs to be, especially with the franchise entering a critical phase for 2026.
Even so, the Stefon Diggs conversation is already starting to take shape around the team. Diggs is still available in free agency, and the appeal for Denver is obvious: he would add another proven target and potentially keep a high-end receiver from landing with an AFC West rival. Whether the Broncos are actually in on him or just watching the market closely, it is the sort of debate that is going to linger until the roster picture becomes clearer. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Add A New Cornerback As Camp Competition Heats Up
With training camp approaching, the Broncos are still making small but meaningful moves to shore up the back end of the roster. Denver added cornerback Sam Webb, bringing in a defender with previous NFL stops in Cleveland, Las Vegas, Carolina and Tennessee as the team looks to sort out its depth before the competition really ramps up.
Blake Cottons time in the mix is ending almost as quickly, with the rookie cornerback headed for a waiver move tied to an injury settlement. It leaves the Broncos continuing to churn the position group, a reminder that camp battles often start well before the first practice in pads and can change in a hurry once injuries enter the picture. [Read more 🡒]