Denver Broncos inside linebacker Jonas Griffith suffered an injury on the first series of the team’s preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday evening and he appeared to be in serious pain. The linebacker was favoring his left arm as he left the field and the Broncos quickly ruled him out with a left elbow injury.
After the game, Griffith told KMGH-TV‘s Troy Renck that he dislocated his elbow during Denver’s 17-7 win over the Cowboys. The timeline for Griffith’s recovery is expected to be 4-6 weeks, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.
A four-week recovery could see Griffith return in time for the team’s regular-season opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 12. A six-week recovery would force Griffith to miss at least the first two games of the season before potentially returning in Week 3 or 4.
Griffith is a projected starter, so the Broncos now need a short-term replacement to play next to Josey Jewell on defense. The top in-house candidate is Alex Singleton, but Denver will undoubtedly add more depth.
Roquan Smith has asked the Chicago Bears to trade him, but the Broncos are hoping to acquire more draft picks for 2023, and they probably don’t want to lose more draft capital in another trade. Denver also needs to have salary cap space available for a Russell Wilson extension, so trading for Smith seems unlikely.
More realistically, the Broncos will likely turn to free agency to find a temporary replacement for Griffith. Denver tried to sign Anthony Barr earlier this month, but Dallas beat them to the linebacker’s signature. Before that, the Broncos worked out former Pro Bowler Joe Schobert, who remains a free agent.
Alexander Johnson, a former Denver starter, is also available. Johnson and Schobert are two players to keep an eye on in the coming days.
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