Broncos safety P.J. Locke (6) celebrates an interception during the second half at Empower Field at Mile High on Oct. 29, 2023 in Denver, Colorado.
The Denver Broncos defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 24-9 during Week 8 of the NFL regular season.
The Broncos are improving as the week goes on and a crucial AFC game approaches.
Denver had all active players participate in workouts Thursday, including safety P.J. Locke.
Locke left a Week 10 win against Buffalo with an ankle injury and did not play Sunday night against Minnesota.
After not practicing Wednesday, Locke did stretching exercises and individual work during the portion of Thursday’s practice open to reporters and then listed as a limited participant.
“I felt pretty good,” Locke told reporters after practice. “I felt like I made some progress, especially compared to last week and yesterday. It’s a work in progress.”
It’s been a frustrating season so far for Locke, who missed the first four games of the year with a toe injury and then played limited roles behind Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson until Jackson was suspended for two matches last month.
Locke started every game Jackson missed, but was injured in the Buffalo game when he was hit from a sharp angle by Simmons.
“We both went for the tackle and Justin had a different angle than me and we both ran back at the same time,” Locke said.
But now his workload is slowly increasing and he has a chance to play in what could be a defensive game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
“I just have to make sure I feel comfortable moving,” he said. “I don’t want to play four times and get hurt or something.
I’ve been doing mental preparation all week, so I’m making sure I’m aware of the game plan and what the (Cleveland) offense is trying to do with it.
“I also have to physically make sure I feel comfortable and can do all the movements.”
Locke wasn’t the only Denver player to see his practice load increase over Thanksgiving.
Running back Samaje Perine appeared to be nursing his knee Wednesday and was listed as a limited participant, but practiced fully Thursday.
So did linebacker Josey Jewell (back) and defensive lineman D.J. Jones (knee) after limited days Wednesday.
Long snapper Mitchell Fraboni (back) was added to the injury report Thursday but practiced fully, as did outside linebackers Nik Bonitto (shoulder) and Baron Browning (wrist) and defensive lineman Mike Purcell (elbow).
Short day.
The Broncos finished practice about a half-hour earlier than normal on Thanksgiving afternoon.
With post-practice rallies canceled, Denver players were heading home to celebrate the holidays.
They will have a long day at work on Friday to make up for some of the time they didn’t meet on Thursday. On Thursday, however, they trained normally, with shoulder pads and helmets, and completed their normal Thursday work: third downs.
Brown injury report. Some key injuries to watch for the Browns: Starting cornerback Denzel Ward (shoulder) did not practice for the second straight day, while safety Grant Delpit (hamstring) was reclassified to limited participation. Cleveland has 16 players on its injury report, although 12 of them practiced in some capacity Thursday.
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The Broncos mourn their Super Bowl champion. Two-time Super Bowl champion defensive lineman Harald Hasselbach recently died at age 56 after a brief battle with cancer, the Broncos announced Thursday.
Hasselbach played for the Broncos for seven years, playing in all 131 games during that time.
He started three playoff games for Denver as the team en route to the Super Bowl XXXIII title.
Prior to his NFL career, Hasselbach played four seasons for the Calgary Stampeders in Fo, Canada
