Comment on NFL notes: Broncos catch a break when Derek Wolfe's injured ankle is only sprained

The Broncos will be without outside linebacker Baron Browning not just this weekend, but for at least the next four games. Denver placed Browning on injured reserve Saturday and promoted wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey to the active roster to take his place, according to the league’s transaction wire. Browning, 25, missed all but 12 snaps of Denver’s Week 2 loss to Pittsburgh after injuring his left foot and had already been ruled out of Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay. Broncos head coach Sean Payton left the door open for an IR placement for Browning on Friday, saying “we’ll see” when asked if it was a possibility. Now the soonest he can return is Week 7 for a Thursday night game at New Orleans.

Relax, Broncos Country. Let’s give Bo Nix some grace. The start to the rookie quarterback’s time in Denver hasn’t been pleasant after creating a ton of buzz and optimism during training camp and two impressive preseason games. Now the Broncos are 0-2, while Nix has thrown 384 passing yards, four interceptions and zero touchdowns. Indeed, the numbers are hard to gaze upon, but it’s still too early to panic.

The Colorado Avalanche can tick off just about every item on the Stanley Cup contender checklist. World-class skill, led by the reigning league MVP? Elite team speed? One of the deepest defense corps, fronted by arguably the best of his generation? Cup-winning experience? It’s all there, although with every discussion about the 2024-25 Avalanche, this comes with a $13 million caveat about the two big names whose eventual impact is a mystery. Speaking of size — are the Avs too small?

Nike sure is high on Denver being high. As in, high up. So the fashionistas up in the Grading The Week offices got a gander at the Nuggets’ new “City Edition” jerseys that leaked online a few days ago, along with those of their NBA peers. The usual gang of idiots walked away with eight immediate takeaways: 1.

GOLDEN — For 12 years, Paul Stroud’s done everything he can to combat the effects of Parkinson’s disease. He had a pair of stimulators implanted deep in his brain. He takes the standard medications to treat symptoms. He even briefly tried out tai chi. Over the past couple of months, however, the 71-year-old’s discovered an effective form of therapy he may have never tried otherwise — one that takes him vertical. When Stroud sheds his walker to put on a harness and scale a climbing wall at Movement gym in Golden, his battle with Parkinson’s — and the issues with balance and tremors that accompany it — dissipates as he pulls himself up. “I don’t do real well with heights, so I’m not a big fanatic about going up the wall.

If you looked at the 19 former Broncos nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this week and wondered if any will reach Canton, the answer is no. This is written with no joy or satisfaction, but even the cases of receiver Demaryius Thomas (positional logjam), cornerback Aqib Talib (needed multiple All-Pro berths) and Tom Nalen (center is a forgotten position) face long odds. So it raises an interesting question: Who will be the Broncos’ next Hall of Famer?