Pat Bryant is headed to injured reserve after all.
The Broncos wide receiver will miss a minimum four games due to the ankle injury he sustained Sunday against San Francisco. The team announced the move Friday afternoon.
Head coach Sean Payton said Wednesday that he didn’t think either Bryant or Pat Surtain II would end up on IR, but now Bryant will.
The second-year wide receiver is first eligible to return in Week 9 when the Broncos travel to Carolina. That game is Nov. 8.
Bryant had one of the best training camps of any Denver player and worked his way squarely into the Broncos’ wide receiver rotation.
He had nine catches for 133 yards and a touchdown at the time of his injury, including three catches for 47 against the Niners.
With Bryant out at least the next four weeks, Denver promoted receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey back to the 53-man roster.
Humphrey has already been on and off the active roster multiple times this season.
Broncos rule Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss out for Sunday’s game
There are no surprises in the Broncos’ final injury report of the week.
Denver will be without its starting corners, Pat Surtain II (ankle) and Riley Moss (ribs), who were both ruled out against the Chargers.
Moss was in attendance at Denver’s Friday practice, the first time he’d been spotted since he was hurt against San Francisco, but did not participate.
Everybody else for the Broncos is cleared to play.
In place of Surtain and Moss, the Broncos will start second-year man Jahdae Barron and third-year man Kris Abrams-Draine at corner.
The Chargers, meanwhile, ruled seven players out including star defender Derwin James, offensive linemen Joe Alt and Trevor Penning and wide receiver Quentin Johnston. They already put star tackle Rashawn Slater on injured reserve earlier in the week, while key players including WR Ladd McConkey and TE Charlie Kolar are questionable.
Rookie cornerback Brent Austin to be elevated from practice squad
Undrafted rookie Brent Austin is set to be elevated from Denver’s practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Chargers, a source confirmed to The Post.
The 22-year-old played his first two years of college ball at James Madison, then one each at South Florida (2024) and Cal (2025).
He signed with Denver right after the draft and made plays in training camp at nickel and on the outside.
“The thing coming out of the draft, everybody said I would be a nickel and couldn’t play outside,” Austin said this week. “Having that versatility to play outside and inside gives me a better opportunity to get on the field.”
“He had a great camp of course,” defensive coordinator Vance Joseph added Friday. “You recognize young guys who can cover. That’s his specialty, obviously. If he has to play, he can cover. He’s very smart. He plays nickel and outside corner.”
Austin, then, appears to be next in line as Denver prepares to navigate a stretch without both Surtain and Moss.
“When you’re practicing, you’ve just got to go hard because you never really know when your turn might be up,” Austin said. “In practice, I try to do the best I can, always stay in the playbook. Sometimes it gets hard and it can feel like you’re going through the motions, but you have to keep going.”
Broncos sign veteran S Ugo Amadi to practice squad
The Broncos added another veteran defensive back to their practice squad Friday, signing Ugo Amadi.
Amadi, a fourth-round pick in 2019, has played eight seasons in the NFL for Seattle, Tennessee, Kansas City and New Orleans.
Overall, Amadi has played in 87 career games. He was in training camp with the New York Giants this summer but released at the roster cutdown deadline in late August.
Amadi gives Denver a second veteran safety on the practice squad, joining Taylor Rapp. The pair have ground to make up to learn the system, but they have far more defensive experience than the Broncos’ reserves currently on the 53-man roster. Devon Key, JL Skinner and Tycen Anderson are accomplished special teams players, but none have proven to be reliable defenders so far.
