Copyright The Denver Post
The Broncos are going to be without a pair of All-Pros against Houston on Sunday. Neither is a surprise given the way the practice week unfolded, but 2024 defensive player of the year Pat Surtain II (pectoral) and dynamic return-man and receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (concussion) were both ruled out for Denver’s Week 9 road game, as were tight end Nate Adkins (knee) and safety P.J. Locke (neck). Mims’ absence against the Texans is particularly bitter because he was concussed on a kick return in the final five minutes of Sunday’s win against Dallas with the Broncos leading by 20. Head coach Sean Payton acknowledged Monday he was only in the game because of a communication failure and that special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi tried to sub him out instead of subbing out rookie running back and return man RJ Harvey. Asked Friday if he needed to take more of an active role on special teams, Payton said, “No. We’re good. We’re good. Darren’s been outstanding. Next question. Next good question.” Mims wasn’t seen at practice Friday and did not practice in any capacity this week. Neither did Surtain or Adkins, though those were more expected. The fact that neither’s been placed on injured reserve suggests the Broncos think they can get both players back by a Nov. 30 game at Washington at the latest. Each did conditioning work on the side field throughout the practice week. Locke, meanwhile, was a limited practice participant early in the week but then didn’t practice Friday and won’t play vs. Houston. Locke has only played 12 defensive snaps this year but he’s been a trusted next man up after starters Brandon Jones and Talanoa Hufanga and he’s also been a special teams staple. Lewis ready if needed. Marcedes Lewis may have only signed with Denver on Tuesday, but he may well get the nod Sunday from the practice squad. Asked if he thought Lewis could be ready to play Sunday should the Broncos want to elevate him, Payton on Friday said, “Absolutely.” Given the fact the Broncos only have two healthy tight ends on the practice squad, such a move at this point seems squarely in play. Lewis told reporters Wednesday that the Denver coaching staff was giving him “bits and pieces” of the offense, clearly in an effort to get him ready for some amount of playing time as quickly as possible. Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi called Lewis, “maybe the 8th wonder of the world,” on Thursday. “We’ll name some plays after some references that are too old for anybody else to understand, so it’s nice that we might name a play after a 90s movie and nobody knows what we’re talking about, but I think he will,” Lombardi said. Elliss healthy again. The Broncos got a key piece of their defensive front back last week in Jonah Elliss, who played against Dallas after missing two games with a shoulder injury. Elliss actually cracked a rib, too, before Denver’s game at Philadelphia but played through that. Then he hurt his shoulder against the Eagles. Elliss injured the same shoulder that he had to have surgery on following the playoff game against Buffalo but called this injury, “completely different.” “It was a quick little recovery, it wasn’t a serious injury by any means,” he told The Post. “You’ve just got to be smart with it and I trust the training staff here completely, so just listened to what they said, whatever treatment they had me do I did and now we’re back in business.” Elliss jumped right back in against Dallas and played a season-high 48.5% of the snaps. Now he and the Broncos’ defense has a tough assignment against quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Texans “It’s almost like every week the quarterback is a dangerous rushing threat,” Elliss said. “We’ve got to rush him the right way but you can’t go into it thinking just, like, ‘cage rush him.’ We hate the term cage rush. It stops guys from rushing. So you’ve just got to be smart with your rush. “When you’re high, spin back. When you take a counter and don’t win, work back outside. It’s just working together and playing smart.”
