Report: Wide receiver Jalen Virgil needs surgery to repair meniscus but avoided an ACL injury

According to 9NEWS Denver’s Mike Klis, Denver Broncos wide receiver Jalen Virgil will need knee surgery to repair his meniscus. He continues by saying the MRI showed that his ACL in intact but the speedy wide receiver will be down for a while.

Virgil injured his knee in the closing seconds of the first half when he used a double move to burn a 49ers defender and take a Jarrett Stidham pass 50 yards before being marked down at the one-yard line. Virgil collapsed to the ground soon after standing up and was later carted to the locker room.

This is a tough blow for Virgil who was pushing for a spot on the 53-man roster for a second straight season. The good news is that this injury is not a season ender and he will likely be placed on the injured reserve during the cut-down period.

The Broncos receiving room has had a tough time staying healthy so far this summer. Early in camp, we learned that K.J. Hamler had a heart condition and would be waived with an injury designation, and then a few days later, Tim Patrick was lost for the season with an Achilles injury. Second-year wide receiver Brandon Johnson suffered an ankle injury as well, but thankfully, it was a minor one and he is expected to return soon from that, but the Broncos' depth at receiver has been tested.

After Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and rookie Marvin Mims Jr., it is tough to predict which receivers will make the team. Veteran Marquez Callaway seems to have a good shot because of his past experience with head coach Sean Payton, but even he isn’t a lock. Second-year receiver Montrell Washington has looked good as a returner, but he may not be the top returner on the roster and hasn’t shown much as a receiver. Kendall Hinton has been reliable throughout his career but is coming off a tough game vs. the 49ers. So, I would not be shocked if Payton and the Broncos looked at the waiver wire during final cut-downs to add some back-end depth to this position.