According to multiple reports, the Denver Broncos have designated wide receiver Pat Bryant to return from the injured reserve. The Broncos' second-year wide receiver was back at practice today after suffering an ankle injury during the team's loss to the 49ers and has been sidelined for the past four games. However, he was eligible to return this week, and today, Bryant was back at practice and has a chance to play in Sunday's game vs. the Carolina Panthers.
Bryant was the star of training camp and was expected to have a large role in the Broncos' offense this season, and before his injury, he was beginning to show signs of that. Through 4 games (left midway through the 4th game), Bryant has 9 receptions for 133 yards and 1 touchdown and was becoming one of the offense's most dependable playmakers.
Unfortunately, his ankle injury, which looked much worse than it ended up being, derailed the momentum he was beginning to build. However, if he does return this Sunday, he will join an offense that has shown signs of life over the past few weeks and is entering a pretty favorable stretch of games. So, if he is 100% and back to normal, he could provide a big boost to the Broncos' passing game moving forward.
As of this writing, we do not know if Bryant was a limited or full participant in today's practice, but it sounds like he is trending towards returning this Sunday. The Broncos do have a bye week after Sunday's game vs. the Panthers, so it's possible they could hold off, but I do not think that's the avenue they will take here.
If Bryant does return this Sunday, he will return as the Broncos WR3 and rejoin starters Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton in the Broncos' offense. After their big win vs. the Chiefs on Sunday, the Broncos sit at 6-2, at the top of the AFC West, and the current number 2 seed in the AFC. The addition of Bryant should give them a big second-half boost and hopefully help them win the AFC West and get the number one seed in the AFC for a second straight year.
