Broncos could be without Jared Crick against Chargers

The Denver Broncos are heading into their first game of the 2017 regular season against the Los Angeles Chargers likely without one of the starters on their defensive line in Jared Crick, who was downgraded from limited to non-participant in practice on Friday.

The good news is Derek Wolfe went from limited to full participation. Filling in for Crick will likely be a combination of Adam Gotsis and Shelby Harris. Harris is an intriguing player and the Broncos preseason MVP. It will be interesting to see if he has a breakout season after spending his first three seasons in a reserve role.

“I knew about Shelby when I worked there (Oakland) because he was there for us,” Broncos Defensive Coordinator Joe Woods said of Shelby Harris. “The one thing with Shelby, he always had natural pass-rushing skills. The thing that we saw him grow into is being player on first and second downs in terms of being able to hold up against the run and get off blocks. This whole offseason, especially the preseason has been great for him. He’s shown that he can make plays on game day.”

As for the Chargers, it is looking like they will mostly be all hands on deck. Well, minus the slew of guys already on IR for them. Mike Williams is reportedly catching passes again, but he hasn’t even begun running any routes. We should not expect to see him on Monday night.

BOLD - Indicates change in status; NIR­- Indicates not injury related

STATUS DEFINITIONS: Did not participate (DNP); Limited: means less than 100 percent of a player’s normal repetitions; Full: 100 percent of player’s normal repetitions; Out: will not play; Doubtful: Unlikely to play; Questionable: Uncertain to play