Broncos without Jeudy, Hamler against Panthers
ENGLEWOOD — The Broncos will again be without two of their top playmakers this Sunday at Carolina.
Wide receivers Jerry Jeudy (ankle) and KJ Hamler (hamstring) will not play against the Panthers this weekend after neither practiced all week. The Broncos will also be without cornerback K’Waun Williams (wrist/elbow/knee) and defensive tackle Jonathan Harris (knee), while tight end Andrew Beck (hamstring) and outside linebacker Jacob Martin (knee) are questionable.
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But Jeudy and Hamler are the biggest losses, as the Broncos — considered one of the worst offenses in the NFL — needs all the help it can get.
“Those guys are both very talented players,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said. “We want them out there. We need to get them healthy and get them out there for that, but we’ve got the guys ready to go, ready to rock. We want to be sure we attack with those guys as well.”
Hamler has missed the the last two games, injuring his hamstring in practice three weeks ago. Jeudy missed the Raiders game last week after injuring his ankle on the first play of the Titans game two weeks ago. Many expected Jeudy to be back by now, but has yet to practice since the injury and it’s now unclear when he will return.
“He’s working through it so he can get back on the field,” Hackett said.
The Broncos will look to veteran Courtland Sutton to carry the load at receiver, with contributions from Kendall Hinton and three rookies — Montrell Washington, Jalen Virgil and Brandon Johnson. Virgil and Johnson were both undrafted rookies that had impressive training camps in August. Johnson looked like a shoo-in to make the team before suffering an injury days before the original 53-man roster was announced.
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Virgil essentially took his spot, but Johnson is now back with the Broncos and is expected to have a key role moving forward after making his NFL debut last week.
“I give him so much credit. He was doing a great job in training camp. We all saw it. He got reps with ones at times. And then he had to opportunity to come back here and he was in great shape. As a young guy, that’s a great thing to see. He was able to stay with the offense, learning everything and we were able to implement him right away.”




