ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Another day, another Denver Broncos player likely headed to injured reserve in their star-crossed season.
Broncos coach Vic Fangio said Tuesday that right tackle Elijah Wilkinson, who suffered a fractured shin in Sunday’s 28-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is likely headed to injured reserve. Fangio made the comments during a morning appearance on the team’s radio partner, KOA-AM.
“Late yesterday it was confirmed that he has an injury and he probably also will be going on [injured reserve],” Fangio said.
The news comes as the Broncos prepare for Thursday night’s game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.
Wilkinson becomes the third player the Broncos have moved to injured reserve in the last two days — defensive tackle Jurrell Casey (biceps) and linebacker Austin Calitro (hamstring) were moved to IR on Monday with Casey out for the remainder of the season.
The Broncos now have five starters on injured reserve, including linebacker Von Miller (foot/ankle) and wide receiver Courtland Sutton (knee). The Broncos’ long injury list also includes quarterback Drew Lock (shoulder) and running back Phillip Lindsay (toe), who are not on injured reserve, but neither played Sunday against the Buccaneers. Lock is expected to miss at least two more weeks.
The Broncos have struggled mightily on offense, having surrendered 13 sacks — tied for second-most in the league after three weeks — and three different quarterbacks have already appeared in games. The Broncos are also 30th in the league in scoring (15 points per game) and 29th in the league in total offense (289.3 yards per game).
Wilkinson was starting in place of Ja’Wuan James, who opted out for the season because of COVID-19 concerns.
Fangio was asked Monday, given the problems in pass protection against the Steelers and Buccaneers, if he was ready to make changes in the offensive line, including switching out Wilkinson for Demar Dotson, a 12th-year veteran the Broncos signed early in training camp.
“Right now, we’re not considering that, but we’ll see,” Fangio said Monday.