DENVER—Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels brushed off the impact of Brandon Marshall’s suspension Friday, saying “we have good receivers, with or without him.”
That theory will be tested even further in the coming weeks.
Just hours after McDaniels’ statement, Marshall’s replacement in the starting lineup, Jabar Gaffney, broke his thumb at practice, thinning out the receiving corps even further.
While McDaniels wouldn’t confirm the severity of Gaffney’s injury Sunday night, Chad Jackson opened Denver’s 24-17 preseason loss to the Chicago Bears in the starting lineup alongside Eddie Royal.
Brandon Stokley remained in his usual role as slot receiver in three-wide sets with Brandon Lloyd, the No. 4.
Gaffney’s loss, presumably for several weeks given the apparent nature of the injury and his position, is a huge blow—and not just because of the timing. Gaffney was well-versed in the offense McDaniels brought from New England and assimilated into the Broncos’ offense nicely since signing a four-year, $10 million deal in February, playing all three receiver positions.
“He’s a big part of our offense, no doubt about it,” Stokley said. “He knows it better than anybody else out there and has made plays for us. So hopefully he’ll be back soon.”
Marshall can return Sept. 6 from his suspension for conduct detrimental to the team but is coming off hip surgery, has been absent from most first-team repetitions all summer and almost certainly will be rusty upon his return.
A side effect of Gaffney’s situation is that the chance of Marshall getting his wish and leaving Denver now appears even more remote than before Gaffney’s injury.
Like Gaffney, Jackson is an ex-Patriot but has been a disappointment since his selection in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft. He was waived by New England last August and latched on with Denver on Oct. 27, 2008. He caught one pass for 19 yards in limited playing time last season.
“It’s a big opportunity. Coach had his trust in me to start me tonight and I made a few plays. That’s what I can do. And hopefully I’ll continue to do that,” Jackson said.
The team ultimately could move Stokley into the starting lineup but in the past he’s been at this best with limited snaps in his third-down role.
Lloyd, an experienced hand with 156 career catches and 15 TDs in 79 career games, had the best catch of the night among the group vying for Gaffney’s playing time on a quiet night overall. His 16-yard grab near the right pylon in the third quarter set up Peyton Hillis’ 2-yard TD run to pull Denver within 17-10.
“Brandon’s absence doesn’t have any impact on the group. Jabar’s absence doesn’t have any impact on the group,” Lloyd maintained. “We’ve got to go out there and play. Those guys are out. We’ve got a job to do and we’re going to do it.”
Denver also frequently employed two tight end sets, sending Tony Scheffler out in the pattern as a glorified receiver as the first-team offense played nearly three quarters.
But Royal, who’s apt to see considerable defensive attention once the season starts without Gaffney and possibly Marshall, was the biggest beneficiary. He was targeted nine times overall by Denver QBs and finished with five catches for 44 yards, more than the combined output of Jackson (1-8), Lloyd (1-16) and Stokley (1-8).
“We’ve got decent receivers. I’ve said that before,” McDaniels reiterated. “We are not concerned about that—that will take care of itself. Hopefully those players will be back and ready to go. The guys that went in there did a decent job and got open and caught the ball for the most part. The problem was we were in long yardage most of the night.”
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GUARDED CONDITION: Denver lost starting right guard Chris Kuper to a right leg injury with eight minutes, 11 seconds left in the first quarter when he was rolled up from behind while blocking on a Correll Buckhalter 1-yard run.
According to STATS Inc., Kuper was the only NFL guard to start 16 games last season without allowing a sack. He was replaced by rookie fourth-round pick Seth Olsen out of Iowa.
If Kuper’s injury is serious, and he was unable to put any weight on his leg as two trainers helped him off the field, the Broncos ultimately could insert newcomer Russ Hochstein into the lineup. Hochstein was acquired from New England on Tuesday for a seventh-round pick and can play both center and guard.
It was a rough night overall for Denver’s starting offensive line, with five penalties assessed, including three holding calls overall and three flags thrown on center Casey Wiegmann. The Broncos also ran eight times for just nine yards before halftime.
Buckhalter and Peyton Hillis, playing in the absence of rookie Knowshon Moreno (knee) and LaMont Jordan (leg), finally broke loose for 21 and 17 yards, respectively, on back-to-back carries on Denver’s second third-quarter series.
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LOOK OUT BELOW: Broncos outside linebacker/defensive end Elvis Dumervil was extremely active, giving Bears left tackle Orlando Pace fits Sunday night.
Dumervil got the corner and cleanly beat Pace and just missing a sack of Jay Cutler and a resulting safety in the first quarter. He used a swim move to beat Pace in the second quarter, grabbing Cutler around the shoulders and sending the Bears QB to the ground.
Cutler complained, looking for a roughing call, to no avail.
Dumervil then beat Pace wit h an inside move late in the second half, shoving Cutler to the ground with a two-handed push just after Cutler released a pass. This time, Dumervil was assessed a 15-yard penalty as the Bears moved to Denver’s 14 on the way to Chicago’s second TD and a 17-3 halftime lead.
“It was fun. It was exciting. I’m sure he had fun, too. (Cutler) came up to me after the game and wished me good luck and I wished him good luck as well,” Dumervil said.
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ODDS AND ENDS: Seven-time Pro Bowl selection Brian Dawkins made his preseason debut with Denver, wearing a heavy cast on the right hand he had surgically repaired earlier this month. Dawkins was busy as the Bears frequently worked their tight ends, Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen, into the passing game. Dawkins finished with five solo tackles and an assist and had a nice sideline shot on receiver Brandon Rideau along the sideline to break up a third-quarter pass. “It was long awaited for me, to finally get my mistakes out of the way and get out there with my teammates,” Dawkins said, adding the cast presented no problems. … Brett Kern and rookie Britton Colquitt, competing for the Broncos punting job, each had two punts downed inside the 20. Colquitt’s two punts landed at the 2 and 1, respectively. Both players averaged over 50 yards. First-round pick Moreno worked out with Broncos head athletic trainer Steve Antonopulos with some resistance training before the game and may be close to returning to practice. Moreno was injured Aug. 14 in the preseason opener.
