Denver Broncos' defensive starter added to injury report late and may miss Week 13

Travis Wakeman

Denver Broncos' defensive starter added to injury report late and may miss Week 13 image

The Denver Broncos are relatively healthy heading into their Sunday Night Football game against the Washington Commanders and the team will be getting back some key players, but another starter has been a late addition to the injury report. 

Due to illness, safety Talanoa Hufanga is now listed as questionable for the game and may not be able to go. Hufanga has been a tremendous free-agent signing for the Broncos, who has become a key cog on one of the NFL's best defensive units. His loss would be a glaring one. 

If Hufanga is unable to play, the team will likely decide between P.J. Locke, Devon Key and JL Skinner as to who will start opposite Brandon Jones at safety. Locke was the team's starter at safety last season, but his role has been greatly scaled back with the addition of Hufanga. 

On the season, Hufanga has 76 tackles, good for second on the team, to go along with two sacks and a forced fumble. He brings undeniable energy to the field and has become one of the most important players on the roster. 

However, there is some good news for the Broncos heading into this game. Pat Surtain II, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year and Alex Singleton will both return for the Broncos in this game. Surtain has missed the last three games while dealing with a pectoral injury and Singleton missed one game after having surgery to remove cancer that was discovered almost by accident

Aside from the possibility of Hufanga not playing, the only other player the Broncos will be without is backup tight end Nate Adkins. The Commanders will once again be without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels, meaning Marcus Mariota will draw another start. 

READ: Broncos bring league-leading 240 pressures into key showdown with floundering Commanders

The Broncos and Commanders are set to kick off at 6:20 PM Mountain time. The game will be televised on NBC and streamed on Peacock. Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth will call the action. 

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Contributing Writer