Broncos quarterback Drew Lock, tight end Jake Butt, wide receiver Tim Patrick, running back Theo Riddick and cornerback De’Vante Bausby are all eligible to return from injured reserve this season.
NFL teams are only allowed to bring back two IR players year season, though, and Denver is not rushing its decision. None of those players will practice this week, delaying their potential returns by at least a week.
Once a player returns to practice, he is allowed to return to the active roster after two weeks.
“We just want to get a little bit more information,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said Wednesday. “We’ve got [five] of them out there and you can bring two back through designation, so we’re just looking to get more information.
“None of them are ready to play right now. We’re just trying to postpone that [decision] as much as possible.”
The Broncos are expected to bring Patrick back after trading away Emmanuel Sanders. That would leave just one more opening. Bringing back Lock would make sense so Denver can take a look at him in the second half of the season if things don’t turn around quickly.
