2:01pm: McGlinchey will also return when first eligible. Although the Broncos could have given their two recovering players the mini-bye to move toward a return, they have deemed neither IR-return cog as in need of extra time. The veteran right tackle will join Browning in coming off IR tonight, NFL.com’s Jane Slater tweets.
Adrift at right tackle for a decade, with the team using a remarkable 11 Week 1 RT starters from 2013-23, the Broncos have McGlinchey signed to a five-year deal that features a fully guaranteed 2025 salary. McGlinchey made 16 starts last season, and the former 49ers top-10 pick will be back for a Broncos team that remains without reserve RT option Alex Palczewski. Four injury activations now remain for the Broncos.
12:33pm: The Broncos’ pass rush will have a reinforcement back tonight. Despite Baron Browning returning to practice during a short week, the Broncos will not slow-play his return.
Both Browning and Mike McGlinchey received IR-return designations this week, and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes the former is coming off IR ahead of tonight’s Saints matchup. It is not yet certain if McGlinchey will join the outside linebacker in playing in New Orleans, but with Denver’s right tackle practicing fully Wednesday, it would seem the team will strongly consider another immediate activation.
[RELATED: Injured Reserve Return Tracker]
Browning went down with a foot injury in Week 2; McGlinchey sustained an MCL sprain during the Broncos’ loss to the Steelers as well. Browning’s return will be pivotal for his future, as this is a contract year for the former third-round pick. The Ohio State alum worked as a starter alongside his former college teammate, Jonathon Cooper, but the Broncos have seen 2022 second-round pick Nik Bonitto enjoy success filling in.
Regardless of how the Broncos structure their OLB corps, the team has another piece to use during a season that has seen Vance Joseph‘s unit help cover for offensive struggles. Browning will join Bonitto, Cooper and third-round rookie Jonah Elliss in the Broncos’ OLB group.
Denver moved Browning from inside linebacker to the edge in 2022, after having used him as a starter off the ball as a rookie. Browning has flashed pass-rushing chops, totaling five sacks in 2022 and 4.5 last season. Browning forced two fumbles in 2023 and tallied 12 QB hits a year prior. Though, injuries have been a consistent part of Browning’s NFL career. An offseason knee injury led Browning to the Broncos’ PUP list last year, costing him seven games. Browning, 25, also missed three games during the 2021 and ’22 seasons.
It would stand to reason, then, that Cooper may be higher on Denver’s long-term priority list. The former seventh-rounder has established himself as a starter in Joseph’s 3-4 scheme, leading the Broncos with 4.5 sacks this season. Cooper joins Browning in a contract year, creating a decision for a Broncos team that has already paid two members from its 2021 draft class — Quinn Meinerz and Patrick Surtain. A Cooper-or-Browning decision may loom, but the latter also will need to show he can stay healthy enough to be a productive player in his contract year to warrant extension consideration.