ENGLEWOOD — The Broncos will be without tight end Lucas Krull for several weeks. 

Krull was ruled out Sunday against the Eagles due to a foot injury suffered in practice this week. The team intends to place him on short-term injured reserve, a source confirmed Friday to The Denver Gazette. He will miss at least four games, with his earliest possible return in Week 9 against the Texans.  

Krull is a depth tight end with two receptions for 15 yards over three games. He was inactive as a healthy scratch last week against the Bengals. Krull was a full practice participant on Thursday, but he did not practice on Friday. The Broncos typically make IR placements on Saturday before games days.  

The Broncos played tight ends Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins and Evan Engram in a win over Cincinnati. Adkins was a full practice participant Friday after missing Thursday with a concussion. 

Krull’s injury might open the door for linebacker Garret Wallow to earn a roster spot. Wallow is out of practice squad elevations after three consecutive call-ups from the practice squad. He’s been a strong contributor on special teams.

Right guard Quinn Meinerz missed practice Thursday with an illness. But he returned Friday as a full participant and does not have an injury designation. Krull is the only active player who will not play Sunday against the Eagles.  

Trust in Mims 

Marvin Mims has been uneven so far this season as a punt returner. The two-time Pro Bowler lost a muffed punt in the season opener against the Titans. He also bobbled a punt return last week against the Bengals but kept possession due to a fair catch. 

“I’m pretty confident with Marvin,” special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi said. “I know he’s been working extra hard on it the last few weeks, getting some extra catches out here off the Jugs machine and off the live foot. So, I’ve got a lot of confidence in Marvin still.” 

Mims has scored offensive touchdowns in two of the past three games. He caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bo Nix against the Colts. Mims also took a reverse 16 yards for a rushing touchdown vs. the Bengals. 

Lessons in tempo 

Coach Sean Payton has identified something that Nix prefers early in games. 

“He likes tempo, tempo to the line (of scrimmage),” Payton said at Broncos Park. “Certainly, last week I think we had two or three third-down conversions with tempo. He’s at the line with 26 seconds now instead of breaking the huddle with eight. You adapt because that’s something that a lot of these college quarterbacks are. … Reducing the verbiage and getting to where we can call plays with just one name, one syllable. Those are some of the things that have changed.” 

But there are times within the game when tempo — moving between plays as quickly as possible — is not the correct strategy.  

“I may not want tempo. My defense might be tired,” Payton said. “So, if I’m going tempo, I want to be able to control that.” 

Briefly 

Defensive lineman Malcolm Roach (calf) and inside linebacker Drew Sanders (foot) did not practice this week. Both were eligible to return from injured reserve. Neither is expected to play against the Eagles. … Rookie defensive lineman Sai’vion Jones made his NFL debut last week against the Bengals. On Friday, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said that Jones “looked fine” over six defensive snaps. Joseph added: “That should increase for him moving forward. He’s had great weeks of practice. That’s why we decided to put him up finally. He’s growing fast, so hopefully he gets better and better each week.” … The Eagles ruled out linebacker Nakobe Dean (knee) against the Broncos.