Broncos quarterback Drew Lock — as well as tight end Jake Butt and running back Theo Riddick — are eligible to return to practice this week but they’re not yet eligible to play in games.
Players on injured reserve are allowed to return to the active roster two weeks after they have returned to practice and Lock, Butt and Riddick have not yet returned to practice. Those players were eligible to practice six weeks after being placed on IR (last week).
If those injured players return to practice next week, it will trigger two countdowns. The first countdown will be a two-week window for them to be eligible to play. If Lock practices next week, he will be eligible to play in Week 10. That’s Denver’s bye week, though, so the earliest he could return to the field is Week 11 against the Vikings on the road.
The second countdown is a three-week window for players to be eligible to return from injured reserve. If a player on IR returns to practice but is not activated to the 53-man roster within 21 days, he will remain on injured reserve for the entire season. After Lock returns to practice, the Broncos will have three weeks to decide if he will be added to the active roster.
It seems likely that quarterback Joe Flacco will start against the Colts in Week 8 and against the Browns in Week 9. Flacco’s backup, Brandon Allen, is yet to attempt a pass in a regular season NFL game.
