A sight the Broncos didn’t need to behold this week: Brandon Stokley hobbling around Dove Valley with a sore heel.
Stokley has been limited in practice, meaning the coaches probably won’t know if he can play at Carolina until this weekend, perhaps hours before game time.
Let’s get right to the bottom line here: If Stokley can’t play, the Broncos figure to struggle to move the chains. Stokley is that important on third down.
Brandon Marshall has more catches and Eddie Royal has made bigger plays, but Stokley is Jay Cutler’s favorite target at crunch time, when making a play means moving the chains or sending in the punting unit.
Stokley leads the team with 18 third-down catches, two more than Marshall. Good thing he was deemed expendable by the Colts after suffering a torn Achilles. He has been an invaluable piece to the puzzle since he walked through the door.
Jim Armstrong: 303-94-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
