The Broncos have brought a number of contributors into the fold ahead of Thursday’s game. In addition to edge rusher Baron Browning and right tackle Mike McGlinchey, Denver has activated cornerback Damarri Mathis.
The latter suffered a high-ankle sprain during the Broncos’ preseason finale. That put an end to the chances of a trade taking place, although Denver preferred to hold onto the 25-year-old. While setting their initial roster on Aug. 27, the Broncos designated Mathis for return, taking advantage of the league’s new rule allowing up to two injured players to be handled in that manner.
That left the former fourth-rounder off the initial roster during cutdowns, but it used up one of Denver’s eight allocated activations. Mathis returned to practice last week, opening his 21-day activation window and setting up an activation in time for the opening game of Week 7. He does not have a full-time starting spot in place upon returning to action, although with Patrick Surtain out for Thursday’s contest, Mathis could handle a notable role during his season debut.
Surtain and Riley Moss are Denver’s top perimeter corners with Ja’Quan McMillian in place as the top slot option. Mathis logged 11 starts as a rookie, but he was relegated to a rotational role on both defense and special teams last year. The Pitt product has 100 tackles and eight pass deflections to his name, and his workload moving forward will be influenced by his production when on the field.
Surtain (once he is back in action) will of course face the greatest expectations among Broncos defenders given the big-ticket extension he signed this summer. The team’s other cornerback options are young and cost-effective, though, and Mathis figures to have a role in that group now that he is back in the picture.