Overview
- Denver announced Thursday that Luke Wattenberg was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, triggering a minimum four-game absence.
- Wattenberg played every offensive snap through the first 15 games and had started 28 straight, anchoring a line that has allowed a league-low 19 sacks.
- If the Broncos keep the AFC’s No. 1 seed, he would only be eligible to return for a potential Super Bowl; as a lower seed, the AFC title game would be the earliest.
- Third-year lineman Alex Forsyth is expected to take over at center; the 2023 seventh-round pick has four career starts and limited snaps this season.
- Wattenberg signed a four-year, $48 million extension in November, and Sean Payton has pushed back on season-ending language; linebacker Dre Greenlaw was also placed on IR with a hamstring, per later reporting.