The Denver Broncos announced a series of significant roster moves on Saturday, activating key contributors on both sides of the ball while sending two players to injured reserve ahead of their Sunday afternoon matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
Running back Jonah Coleman and outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper have both been added to the active roster, providing the team with a talent infusion for the Week 7 contest. Coleman’s return is expected to bolster the backfield after a four-game absence. He was placed on injured reserve following a Week 2 performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in which he tallied 58 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. The team officially designated him for return on Wednesday, allowing him to practice throughout the week before Saturday’s final activation.
On the defensive side, the Broncos welcome back veteran presence Jonathon Cooper. Recently removed from the Commissioner’s Exempt list, Cooper is poised to make his season debut. His return provides a proven edge-rushing threat to Denver’s defensive rotation; Cooper has maintained high-level consistency over the last three seasons, recording at least eight sacks, eight tackles for loss, and 13 quarterback hits in each of those campaigns.
To make room for these additions, the Broncos placed running back Tyler Badie and outside linebacker Jonah Elliss on injured reserve. Both players are now mandated to miss a minimum of four games, making them ineligible to return until at least Week 12, when Denver is scheduled to face the Pittsburgh Steelers. While the loss of Elliss impacts the defensive depth, Head Coach Sean Payton offered a measure of optimism earlier this week, indicating that the linebacker’s injury is not expected to be a season-ending issue.
In additional adjustments, Denver elevated safety Taylor Rapp and defensive back Sean Fresch Jr. from the practice squad for Sunday’s game. The elevation of Rapp follows the team ruling out safety Talanoa Hufanga for the second consecutive week. Rapp is coming off a busy debut in Week 6, where he saw 65 snaps of action against the Seattle Seahawks. Fresch Jr., meanwhile, receives his third elevation of the season. He has become a staple of the special teams unit, playing 33 percent of those snaps over the previous two weeks. Under league rules, this marks Fresch’s final available elevation from the practice squad; the Broncos would need to sign him to the 53-man active roster for him to appear in any games following Week 7.
The Broncos are scheduled to kick off against the Cardinals at 2:05 p.m. MT on Sunday.
