Bo Nix is likely on the path toward recovery.

The Broncos quarterback was expected to have surgery Tuesday to repair a fractured bone he suffered in his right ankle during an overtime divisional-round playoff win over the Bills. Coach Sean Payton told reporters it was scheduled with Dr. Norman E. Waldrop in Birmingham, Ala.

A Broncos team spokesman did not immediately respond Tuesday with confirmation of a successful surgery. But it is a strong possibility that Nix will make a full recovery before next season.

Dr. Sanjit R. Konda is an orthopedic surgeon at NYU Lagone Health in New York. He does not treat Broncos players and is not involved in Nix’s treatment plan. Konda still offers valuable perspective as someone who performs three to four ankle fracture surgeries per week.

“We typically think of the ankle as containing three parts. We call it the lateral malleolus, the medial malleolus and the posterior malleolus. Those are parts of the fibula bone and tibia bone that help to contain the ankle,” Konda told The Denver Gazette in a phone interview. “Typically, just in isolation, breaking one of those ankle bones … the ankle remains stable and sometimes those can be treated without surgery. But what can push the simple ankle fracture pattern to requiring surgery is if there is a fracture associated with a ligament injury.

“Often, that makes the ankle unstable, in which case surgery is necessary in order to repair both the fracture and the ligament.”

Konda explained the factors that contribute to a return timeline from ankle surgery.

“We typically say fractures will heal somewhere around the range of six-to-eight weeks,” Konda said. “Now, that can be pushed a little bit further if you have a ligament injury associated with the fracture. The ligaments often take longer to heal. We sometimes see almost double the amount of time. So, closer to around three months for the ligaments to heal.”

Johnson signed

The Broncos signed WR Brandon Johnson to their practice squad Tuesday, according to the NFL’s transactions wire.

Johnson previously appeared in 20 games over two seasons (2022-23) with the Broncos. He logged 25 catches for 326 yards and five touchdowns. Johnson played three games with the Steelers in 2024. He spent time this season on practice squads in Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia.

The Broncos suffered wide receiver injuries in their AFC divisional-round playoff win over Buffalo to Pat Bryant (concussion) and Troy Franklin (hamstring). Their status for the conference title game is unclear ahead of the team’s first practice Wednesday.

The Broncos released veteran offensive lineman Michael Deiter off the practice squad in a corresponding move, per the NFL’s transactions wire.

Crawshaw recognized

Broncos punter Jeremy Crawshaw was named to the 2025 Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie team, the organization announced Tuesday.

Crawshaw — a sixth-round draft pick (Florida) — finished the season averaging 47.6 yards per punt. That ranked most among NFL rookie punters and No. 15 overall. He pinned 30 of 75 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

Crawshaw was especially excellent in overtime of the Broncos’ playoff victory over the Bills. He flipped field position with a 55-yard punt that went out of bounds at the Buffalo 7-yard line.

“I thought that was a hall of fame punt by Jeremy Crawshaw,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said following the game. “You’ve been seeing a lot of situational football this year where (a punt) goes to a touchback … and all of the sudden you’re at midfield. When it becomes sudden death, for them to have to march 95 (yards) instead of 20 to get into field-goal range, that was a monstrous play in that game.”

Crawshaw spoke with The Denver Gazette earlier this season and said a mental coach helped him achieve better punting results.

“It’s more about getting out of your own way,” Crawshaw said.

Bolles’ community impact

Garett Bolles is one of five finalists for the 2026 NFL Players Association’s Alan Page Community Award, the organization announced on Tuesday.

It is considered the “highest honor that the NFLPA can bestow on a player” and is given to a “union member who goes above and beyond to perform community service” in their respective team city or hometown, according to a news release.

Bolles and his wife, Natalie, founded the GB3 Foundation and opened the Bjorem + Bolles Childhood Apraxia Training Center in Parker. The center is dedicated to training speech-language pathologists in the assessment and treatment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech. It provides education, specialized curriculum, and resources to empower children with speech disorders.

Bolles is joined by award finalists Dion Dawkins (Bills), Nakobe Dean (Eagles), Derrick Henry (Ravens) and Caleb Williams (Bears).

The winner is determined by NFL player voting and will be announced Feb. 3 at the NFLPA’s annual Super Bowl press conference. That player will receive an additional $10,000 donation from the NFLPA toward his foundation or a charity.