Yet another starter joins Broncos’ massive list of wounded players

DENVER — The Broncos’ catastrophic run of injuries continues.

The latest to succumb to the tsunami of infirmities is ILB Jonas Griffith. As first reported by KUSA Ch-9’s Mike Klis, Griffith aggravated a foot injury in practice Thursday. His season could be over as a result of the injury.

Griffith saw a reduction in defensive workload last Sunday; he played a season-low 13 snaps. But he saw special-teams work throughout the 17-10 loss to the Titans, playing 90 percent (26 snaps) of the special-teams repetitions. He started eight of the Broncos’ first nine game and had two games with double-digit tackles.

With Griffith injured, the Broncos could make further use of the Alex Singleton-Josey Jewell tandem that played extensively in Nashville. Nevertheless, it’s yet another player listed as a Broncos first-teamer to suffer an injury.

The Broncos have 14 players listed on injured reserve. One, long snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer, is already designated to return. He appears on track to play this Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.

But Denver’s injury woes go beyond IR, and include a slew of players who didn’t land on that list, but missed time. Griffith and slot cornerback K’Waun Williams will become the 15th and 16th different first-teamers to miss at least one game due to injuries.

The list is as follows:

• FB/TE Andrew Beck: hamstring, 1 game
• LS Jacob Bobenmoyer: thumb, 4 games
• LT Garett Bolles: fractured ankle, 4 games (on injured reserve, will end up missing 12 games)
• Edge rusher Baron Browning: hip, 2 games
• C Lloyd Cushenberry: groin, 1 game (on injured reserve, will miss at least 3 more)
• CB Ronald Darby: ACL tear, 4 games (on injured reserve, will end up missing 12 games)
• OT Cam Fleming: quadriceps, 2 games
• Edge rusher Randy Gregory: knee scope, 5 games (on injured reserve)
• WR KJ Hamler: knee/hip, 1 game; hamstring, 1 game (currently “week-to-week”)
• ILB Josey Jewell: calf, 2 games; knee, 2 games
• RG Quinn Meinerz: hamstring, 4 games
• WR Tim Patrick: ACL tear, 9 games (on injured reserve, expected to miss all 17 games)
• S Justin Simmons: thigh, 4 games; sprained knee, 1 game
• OT Billy Turner: knee, 5 games (on injured reserve, will miss at least 4 more)
• RB Javonte Williams: torn knee ligaments, 5 games (on injured reserve, will end up missing 13 games)
• QB Russell Wilson: partial hamstring tear, 1 game

That is 51 total man-games missed — and counting. Accounting for players already on injured reserve and the expected absences of Beck, Hamler, Griffith and Williams against the Raiders, the final number of man-games lost by first-teamers will be no lower than 94.

Furthermore, WR Jerry Jeudy has not practiced since suffering an ankle injury on the first play last Sunday. He is considered day-to-day.

And with that, the hits keep on coming for the battered Broncos.

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