ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—The Denver Broncos have placed linebacker Joe Mays and tight end Dan Gronkowski on injured reserve.
Mays blew out his left knee and Gronkowski injured his left ankle in the Broncos’ 10-6 loss at Kansas City on Sunday.
Mays said he sprained a ligament and didn’t need surgery, but because the recovery is four weeks, his season is over.
Mays, acquired from Philadelphia during training camp, had given the Broncos a toughness at middle linebacker in the last month, collecting 23 tackles over the last four games and allowing Mario Haggan to move to outside linebacker, where he’s put up a team-high five sacks.
“I think Joe Mays played great. He added a lot of energy to our defense and made some exciting hits,” Haggan said. “Unfortunately, these things happen and hopefully he’ll heal and be ready to play and use the knowledge that he gained this year to help us next year.
“Hopefully this time that he got to play will be a big help for him leading into next season and I hope he does something dynamic when he comes back.”
Gronkowski, picked up from Detroit this year, had eight catches for 65 yards. Just like Mays did on defense, Gronkowski brought a toughness to the offense. He went back into the game after getting hurt Sunday.
Their roster spots weren’t immediately filled.
Cornerback Andre’ Goodman is expected to return this week after missing most of the last two months with a hip injury.
