Just days after signing with the Broncos’ practice squad, tight end Marcedes Lewis is set to play on Sunday against the Texans.
Lewis has been elevated from the practice squad to the active roster for the game.
At the age of 41, Lewis will be the oldest player in Broncos franchise history and the oldest tight end in NFL history. He’s the second-oldest active player in the NFL, behind only Aaron Rodgers.
A 2006 first-round pick of the Jaguars, Lewis played 12 seasons in Jacksonville and five in Green Bay before playing the last two seasons in Chicago. He appeared in all 17 games last season but didn’t get a lot of playing time and caught only one pass for two yards.
Denver needs help at tight end because Nate Adkins was injured on Sunday and Lucas Krull was already out with a foot injury. The Broncos tried to add tight ends Brendan Bates and Ben Sims via waiver claims, but both of them were claimed by teams that have worse records and are therefore higher in the waiver priority order. Now they have the most experienced tight end in the NFL ready to go for them on Sunday.
In April 2024, six quarterbacks were selected among the first 12 picks in the draft. For the first time, all of them will be playing on the same day.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick, will start at Cincinnati. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, the second overall pick, will start at home against the Seahawks.
The third overall pick, Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, will host the Falcons and eighth overall pick Michael Penix Jr. The Vikings and No. 10 choice J.J. McCarthy visit the Lions, and the Broncos and quarterback Bo Nix, taken at No. 12, will visit the Texans.
All six started in Week 1 and Week 2, but they didn’t play on the same day.
It remains to be seen which of the six will become franchise quarterbacks, which will become consistent starters, and which will not pan out. Maye is currently playing the best of the bunch. Daniels has had the most success with his team. Penix has been up and down.
McCarthy is the only one who continues to be a largely unknown commodity. He missed all of the 2024 regular season, and he played in only the first two games of the 2025 season.
Running back J.K. Dobbins hopes he has found a home in Denver.
Still only 26, Dobbins has 634 rushing yards in eight games. That currently has him at third in the NFL, and it’s the most rushing yards through eight games for Broncos tailback since Clinton Portis, who had 793 rushing yards through eight games played in 2003.
It has Dobbins, who signed a one-year deal in June, hoping he’ll get the chance to stick around.
“Far as extension and stuff like that, that doesn’t cross my mind,” Dobbins said Thursday, via Luca Evans of the Denver Post. “But, me just wanting to be here in Denver — yes. I hope to end my career here and be here for the rest of my time in the NFL.”
Dobbins’s contract has a base value of $2.7 million, with up to $2.5 million in incentives. The biggest incentive is a contract that would keep him on the team beyond 2025.
“I want to be in Denver,” Dobbins said. “I love it. I love the fanbase. I think the fanbase and I have a connection. Love my teammates. And I also love Sean Payton. I love the owners.”
Dobbins surely doesn’t love how his career initially played out. Injuries hampered him significantly in 2022 and 2023. Last year, he rushed for 905 yards in 13 games with the Chargers.
This year, he’s averaging 5.3 yards per carry. It’s hard to ignore that kind of performance. And it’s safe to say that, if the Broncos aren’t interested in continuing the relationship, he will have suitors.
The Broncos officially ruled out cornerback Pat Surtain II (pectoral) for Sunday’s game against the Texans.
The team did not place Surtain on injured reserve, hoping he can return at least by Week 13 after the off week.
Surtain is the reigning defensive player of the year.
The Broncos also ruled out wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. (concussion), tight end Nate Adkins (knee) and safety P.J. Locke (neck) for this week.
Surtain, Mims and Adkins did not practice this week, while Locke was limited on Wednesday and Thursday before not practicing on Friday.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw (quad) does not have an injury designation.
The Texans are set to have wide receivers Nico Collins and Christian Kirk back in the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Broncos.
Collins missed last Sunday’s win over the 49ers with a concussion and Kirk has missed two games with a hamstring injury, but neither player has an injury designation for this weekend.
Running back Woody Marks is also set to play. Marks was limited with a calf injury on Thursday, but returned to full practice on Friday.
The Texans will not activate cornerback Alijah Huzzie (knee) this week. Fullback Jakob Johnson (hamstring), tight end Dalton Schultz (knee, shoulder), defensive lineman Dylan Horton (knee), and defensive lineman Denico Autry (knee) are listed as questionable.
