Broncos LB Josey Jewell Seemingly Suffers Injury Setback

The Denver Broncos defense could be without its quarterback on Monday night.

The Denver Broncos are gearing up for the season-opening throwdown at the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. The last game of the NFL's Week 1 slate, it'll be the first of five nationally-televised contests for the Broncos.

And it might be the most media-hyped of them all, due to the whole Russell Wilson 'revenge' trope — and the ante got upped this week by Seattle's ESPN smear piece. But I digress. 

Currently positioned as 6.5-point road favorites, if the Broncos are going to handle their business in Seattle, they'll need as many hands on deck as they can get. On Thursday, five players popped up on Denver's practice report with a listed injury.

When Friday's practice rolled around, conspicuously absent from the on-field proceedings was starting linebacker Josey Jewell, who did not participate. 9NEWS' Mike Klis crossed paths with Jewell, who opted not to comment on his concerning calf injury. 

I asked Jewell in locker room how he was doing. He politely declined to answer and walked into trainer’s room. #9sports https://t.co/V4bJmF5mRs

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) September 9, 2022

Denver Broncos

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Meanwhile, Jewell's starting partner at linebacker was once again a full participant in practice. Jonas Griffith's rapid recovery from a dislocated elbow suffered in preseason Game 1 is nearly complete. 

Jewell's sudden appearance on the injury report with a calf was concerning. But seeing the coaches' decision to keep him out of practice entirely doesn't bode well for his availability on Monday night. 

It doesn't necessarily mean that Jewell won't play in Seattle, but it's an unfortunate harbinger. The Broncos might have to chop wood without their top linebacker and field general. 

If Jewell can't go, the Broncos will turn to Alex Singleton or Justin Strnad to bridge the gap. Neither player inspires much confidence, so hopefully, Jewell can play.

After missing most of last season with a torn pec, Jewell is increasingly becoming known as injury prone. The Broncos re-signed him this past offseason on a two-year deal that was front-loaded. 

If Jewell struggles to stay on the field in Year 1 of that new deal, it would make the likelihood of him sticking around for Year 2 much slimmer. Stay tuned. 

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