No matter how healthy a team stays, the NFL season will always test depth eventually.
The Broncos are feeling that now, at least to some degree.
One place Denver is confident in its depth: Cornerback.
When Riley Moss injured his knee Sunday at Las Vegas, veteran Levi Wallace stepped in and played solid.
“That’s been the standard since I first got here,” Wallace told The Post this week. “We’ve got a bunch of older guys but the younger guys, too, can play. They just don’t always get the opportunity, but I think we’ve got a lot of talent on this team and we’ve got a lot of guys that know how to play the game the right way.
“Nobody ever panics when somebody has to go in and make a play.”
Head coach Sean Payton said Moss injured his MCL and Denver thought about getting him back in the game Sunday, but he didn’t practice Friday and has not yet this week, putting his status for Monday night’s game against Cleveland at least into question.
Wallace and Damarri Mathis have each seen time in sub packages, too. If Moss isn’t able to play Monday night, it could mean the first gameday activation for rookie fifth-round pick Kris Abrams-Draine.
“He comes with the right mindset,” Wallace said. “It’s always challenging navigating your first year in the league. It’s an especially long year after a long college season and then right to the Senior Bowl and draft prep. He’s handled it really well. He’s really mature. He asks the right questions and he’s a good player.”
Surtain excited to face Jeudy. Former Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy hasn’t ever been one to mince words.
He didn’t Friday when talking about this tenure in Denver and his want to be traded after the 2023 season.
“Just knowing the player I am, I wasn’t satisfied with how they were using me,” Jeudy told reporters in Cleveland. “I felt I could do way more than what they expected of me. I felt limited. So I felt I had to go somewhere else to really showcase what I’m about.”
Jeudy, of course, was traded back in March.
Broncos All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II could be assigned to travel with Jeudy on Monday night. The pair practiced against each other for three seasons, played at Alabama together in college and have been competing since 7-on-7 tournaments in South Florida “when we was yay-high,” Surtain said Friday.
“This was his past team so he’s going to have a lot of juice flowing,” Surtain said. “That’s just the type of player he is. He’s very competitive. He’s going to be looking to get after it and I’m looking forward to the matchup. It’s going to be a great matchup. I already know the kind of person he is, his competitive structure. He’s going to be ready.”
Broncos lose Alexander. The Broncos last week had two veteran inside linebackers on their practice squad. Now they have none.
Denver promoted inside linebacker Zach Cunningham to the 53-man roster on Wednesday and then Friday lost Kwon Alexander to Detroit, a source confirmed to The Post.
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The 11-1 Lions are signing Alexander to their active roster from the Broncos’ practice squad after losing Malcolm Rodriguez to a reported ACL injury Thursday. The move was not on the NFL’s Friday transaction wire but Alexander was not at Denver’s practice.
Cunningham and Alexander each played three games for the Broncos from the practice squad. Either would have to be on the 53-man roster to keep playing and Denver chose Cunningham earlier this week.
Denver now has one open practice squad spot.
Injury report. Aside from Moss, everybody practiced fully for Denver on Friday. That includes quarterback Bo Nix (back) and defensive linemen Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers. Allen missed Sunday’s win against Las Vegas with a heel injury and was limited early in the week with what the team categorized as an ankle issue. Franklin-Myers had been limited with a shoulder injury.
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