ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy is expected to miss four to six weeks with a high ankle sprain, sources said, after suffering the injury in the third quarter of the team’s 27-13 win Sunday over the New York Giants.
Broncos coach Vic Fangio said after Sunday’s game the initial exam on Jeudy’s right ankle showed no fracture. Fangio confirmed Monday that an MRI on Jeudy’s ankle revealed the sprain.
“He’s definitely got a high-ankle sprain, everything else checked out good,” Fangio said. “He’s going to miss some time.”
Fangio said it would “be hard to put a timetable” on Jeudy’s recovery at the moment, but sources said Monday a four- to six-week recovery would be a minimum. The Broncos could move Jeudy to injured reserve in the coming days and move him back to the active roster once he is cleared to play, but Fangio said he had not yet talked with general manager George Paton about making that move.
The Broncos have four wide receivers on their practice squad who were all with the team during training camp — Tyrie Cleveland, Kendall Hinton, Seth Williams and De’Mornay Pierson-El. Cleveland, a 2020 draft pick, played in 10 games last season and finished with six catches.
Fangio said in the near future he expects Tim Patrick, Courtland Sutton and KJ Hamler to get the bulk of the work in Jeudy’s absence and that “we’ve got all the snaps being divided up by three (wide receivers) instead of four.”
Jeudy was injured when he made a 20-yard reception on the 12th play of the Broncos first possession of the second half. On a third-and-7 play from the Giants’ 33-yard line with just under nine minutes remaining in the third quarter, Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had fired a pass to Jeudy along the left sideline.
As Jeudy was tackled by Giants cornerback James Bradberry, his right leg was pinned under the two as they fell to the ground. Jeudy immediately grabbed his right ankle after the play as Broncos trainers rushed on to the field.
After a training camp when his defensive teammates called him “uncoverable” at times, Jeudy has been poised for a prominent role in the Broncos’ offense. He led the team with 72 yards receiving Sunday despite playing 31 snaps.
“I talked to Jerry briefly,” Bridgewater said following Sunday’s game. “He means a lot to this offense. You watch him, he’s creating separation in the pass game. He’s making tough catches across the middle. He’s getting open for us on third downs, different things. So, he’s a guy who means a lot to this offense, a lot to this team and we’ll continue to pray for him and can’t wait to get him back.”