About 36 hours after they lost defensive end Billy Winn to a season-ending knee injury, the Broncos received a scare when Derek Wolfe went down in practice Saturday with a serious ankle sprain.
The sixth-year veteran was carted off the field after getting caught up in a pile with offensive tackle Menelik Watson in 11-on-11 drills early in the workout. Wolfe was visibly upset by the injury and didn’t put any weight on his right leg as he hobbled back to the locker room with the help of trainers. Testing revealed the injury was less severe than the Broncos had feared and Wolfe said he expects to be ready for Week 1 of the regular season.
“Appreciate the love,” he tweeted Saturday afternoon. “Dodged a bullet.”
He later posted a photo of his ballooned ankle and added: “Just a little swelling.”
Appreciate the love. Dodged a bullet.#DEFWU #blameitonthecleats
— Derek Wolfe (@Derek_Wolfe95) August 12, 2017
Just a little swelling 😎 pic.twitter.com/iCz1TL7FhE
— Derek Wolfe (@Derek_Wolfe95) August 12, 2017
Although Wolfe will miss practice time and preseason reps, the Broncos avoided a tremendous blow to their already depleted defense.
In their preseason opener at Chicago on Thursday, Winn tore his ACL and suffered damage to other ligaments in his right knee. The team placed him on injured reserve Saturday morning and signed rookie undrafted free agent Nelson Adams, a 6-foot-3, 287-pound lineman who was released from the Steelers last week after competing in their training camp.
“Anytime you lose a guy like Winn, who has played really, really well for us, that’s a concern, absolutely,” Joseph said. “But we have guys behind him who have to step up. But you lose guys, that’s a concern.”
Winn was the No. 2 nose tackle on the Broncos’ depth chart behind veteran Domata Peko. Sitting at No. 3 is Kyle Peko, who injured his foot in June and has been on the physically unable to perform list. Peko can come off PUP at any point, but the call is dependent on his health.
“Kyle had X-rays (Sunday) and it was pretty good, so he’s healing fast,” Joseph said. “But until he’s healthy, we won’t know that.”
While Winn was lost for the season, outside linebackers Shane Ray (wrist) and Shaquil Barrett (hip) will miss the entirety of preseason to recover from injuries. Both are projected to return within the first few weeks of the regular season.
“Everything is healing fine,” Ray told The Denver Post on Friday. “The doctor says my hand is healing well. My stitches, when they came out the scars looked good, so I’m just excited. I look at it as they gave me four extra weeks to train.”
The Broncos signed veteran Zach Kerr in free agency to spell Wolfe at defensive end and he, along with second-year player Adam Gotsis, will likely see more time in preseason as Wolfe recovers.
“I’m wherever they want me to play,” Kerr said. “I went into the game as the second end and then played the majority of snaps at nose when Billy went down. I’m cool with being a gadget man.”
