The Broncos will be short-handed in the pass rush department, which struggled in the season-opening loss to the Raiders last week.<\/p>\n
Outside linebacker Frank Clark was ruled out for Sunday\u2019s home matchup against the Washington Commanders due to a hip injury. Clark, a two-time Super Bowl champion, has missed the last two days of practice after being a limited participant on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
According to NFL Network\u2019s Ian Rapoport, Clark is expected to miss multiple weeks, but the injury is not considered serious. On Friday, Broncos head coach Sean Payton said he doesn\u2019t expect Clark\u2019s injury to change the team\u2019s plan of rotating edge rushers.<\/p>\n
Against the Raiders, outside linebackers Randy Gregory and Jonathon Cooper played in more than 60% of the defensive snaps. Clark was in 42% of the defensive snaps, while second-year edge rusher Nik Bonitto was in 25%. Undrafted rookie Thomas Incoom was inactive, but there\u2019s a chance he could play Sunday due to Clark\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n
Tight end Greg Dulcich (hamstring) will also not play against Washington, while wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (hamstring) is active. Payton doesn\u2019t expect Jeudy to be on a pitch count.<\/p>\n
While Denver saw its depth at pass rush shrink, the Commanders added reinforcement ahead of the Week 2 matchup. Defensive end Chase Young will make his season debut after missing last week\u2019s victory over the Arizona Cardinals due to a stinger.<\/p>\n
Payton\u2019s relationship with former Broncos quarterback John Elway goes beyond their countless rounds of golf with hockey legend Wayne Gretzky in Idaho.<\/p>\n
Payton, being the student of the game that he is, had spent a lot of time watching Elway\u2019s game film and learning how former head coach Mike Shanahan operated his offenses in Denver. Payton said Shanahan had \u201csplit the atom\u201d when he put the big tight end outside the receivers in an empty formation.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the Broncos\u2019 honoring the 25th anniversary of their Super Bowl 33 victory on Sunday, Payton raved about Denver\u2019s 34-19 win over the Atlanta Falcons in 1999.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s certain plays that come up,\u201d Payton said. \u201cThey ran this stutter comeback post that I\u2019ve never seen before for a touchdown. It was a dominant performance. That stretch of three years was unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n