Published October 24, 2026 2:39pm
|
Updated October 24, 2026 2:47pm
GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Broncos on Saturday beefed up both the offense and defense.
As expected, the Broncos activated outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper a week after he was removed from the NFL commissioner’s exempt list and activated rookie running back Jonah Coleman off injured reserve. Both will play Sunday at Arizona.
Recommended Stories
▶
To make room on the roster, the Broncos placed outside linebacker Jonah Elliss on injured reserve with an ankle injury and running back Tyler Badie on injured reserve with a thumb injury. Both were hurt in Denver’s last game, a 17-14 overtime win over Seattle on Oct. 15.
The Broncos also elevated safety Taylor Rapp and defensive back Sean Fresch Jr. from the practice squad to face the Cardinals.
Cooper missed the first six games of the season while on the commissioner’s exempt list due to facing a felony domestic violence charge and multiple misdemeanors for an alleged incident in June in Douglas County. He has a trial scheduled for March 2-4.
Coleman rushed for 38 of his 39 yards in the fourth quarter of a 20-13 win over Jacksonville in Week 2. But he suffered an ankle injury in that game and was shelved. He then missed the minimum of four games.
Both Cooper and Coleman returned to practice on Wednesday and Broncos coach Sean Payton said Friday he had seen enough for them to play against the Cardinals.
Cooper has 27 sacks over the past three seasons. He will add an additional element to Denver’s defense, which has been inconsistent all season.
Coleman could help jump start a struggling running attack. The Broncos rank No. 26 in the NFL in rushing with an average of 84.2 yards per game on the ground.
Rapp was elevated for a second straight game due to star safety Talonoa Hufanga being out for a second straight game with an ankle injury suffered Oct. 11 at the Los Angeles Chargers. With Hufanga out against the Seahawks, Devon Key started and played 29 snaps but Rapp played 65 off the bench.
Fresch will provide depth with star cornerback Pat Surtain II listed as questionable for Sunday’s game due to an ankle injury. Fresch was elevated for the third straight game and is now out of elevations for the season. So the Broncos would need to sign him to the 53-man roster for him to play again in 2026.
Penners invest in Valencia CF
Penner Sports Group, headed by Broncos owners Greg and Carrie Penner, has purchased a minority share of the Spanish soccer club Valencia CF.
The transaction was announced Friday. The Penner group made their investment through Pitchwise Holdings, which now owns 42% of the team. Meriton Holdings remains the club’s majority owner.
Valencia CF was founded in 1919 and currently competes in La Liga, Spain’s top league. The club has won six La Liga titles but is currently in 19th place in the 20-team league.
Singleton fined by NFL
Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton was fined $23,882 for unnecessary roughness for improper use of his helmet for a hit on Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold, the NFL announced Saturday.
Singleton was not penalized on the play in the final minute of regulation when he hit Darnold after he released the ball for a short completion. It was the same play in which Elliss was injured when he banged into Darnold after Singleton had hit him.