Mile High Report
Earlier this month, we learned that Broncos tight end Nate Adkins underwent ankle surgery and would miss some time while he recovered. Many assumed, myself included, that he would be placed on the short-term injured reserve list, miss four weeks, and then return to the field for the Broncos.
However, Head Coach Sean Payton provided some good news on Adkins’ injury return. He told reporters that while Adkins may not be ready for week one, he should be back by weeks two or three and will avoid being placed on the short-term injured reserve.
“I can’t say he’s going to be medically ready to play Week 1, but close enough to where we’re probably going to hold him. We discussed it the other day, he’s going to beat the short-term IR… Week 2, Week 3. He’s too good of a football player for us. We’re going to need him.”
With Adkins making and counting against the 53-man roster, but unlikely to play week one, the Broncos will have some interesting decisions to make when constructing the roster. Since he will likely be back by weeks 2 or 3, you could theoretically replace his spot in the lineup with a player on the practice squad for that week or so instead of taking up a roster spot.
Tight end Lucas Krull appears to be the favorite in-house option to replace Adkins, but I would not be surprised if they looked outside the organization to fill that spot. The other options are rookies Caleb Lohner and Caden Prieskorn, and I don’t think either player is a legitimate option to replace Adkins right now. So, it will be interesting to see what the Broncos do there.
In the end, it is good news that Nate Adkins will be back sooner rather than later. He may not be the flashiest or most notable player on the roster, but he is a favorite of Sean Payton’s. He plays tight end, fullback, is a good blocker, and contributes on special teams. He does all the dirty work and does it well, and has become a player Sean Payton seems to really like.
