Running back Woody Marks was added to the Texans’ injury report for Thursday’s practice.
Marks was listed as a limited participant due to a calf injury. Defensive ends Denico Autry (knee) and Dylan Horton (knee) were also added with limited designations.
The status of all three players will be updated on Friday and Marks’ absence would be a blow to the team’s offensive backfield for Sunday’s game against the Broncos.
Wide receiver Nico Collins (concussion), wide receiver Christian Kirk (hamstring), fullback Jakob Johnson (hamstring), and safety Jalen Pitre (foot) were all upgraded from limited to full participation. Wide receiver Braxton Berrios (chest) remained limited and tight end Dalton Schultz (knee, shoulder) was the only player out of practice.
The Broncos went 4-0 in October and their kicking game was a significant reason why.
Now, Wil Lutz has been named AFC special theism player of the month.
Lutz hit all six of his field goal attempts in October, including a pair of game-winners. He also connected on all nine of his extra-point attempts.
Additionally, Lutz was one of two kickers to hit two field goals of at least 55 yards during the month.
This is the second time Lutz has been named special teams player of the month with the Broncos, also earning the honor in November 2023.
Thwarted in their efforts to add a tight end via waivers (twice), the Denver Broncos had to find a free agent at the position.
They found one in 41-year-old Marcedes Lewis.
“You kind of follow his career, and I knew he’d been training, I knew he’s in great shape,” coach Sean Payton told reporters on Wednesday regarding the decision to add the 2006 first-rounder. “He’s a tremendous blocker. . . . So we brought him in for a workout, brought him on to our practice squad. I’m glad he’s here. He’s a tremendous leader. . . . He had been in the league long enough where the reports have just been unbelievable anywhere he’s been. Jacksonville, Green Bay, Chicago. It’s good to have him here.”
Payton recognized the unusual nature of a position player having a 20-year NFL career.
“I think he’s obsessed with taking care of himself,” Payton said. “That has a lot to do with it. I had checked on a mutual friend. He’s been training two times a day and then you can see that he’s in shape.”
If Lewis plays for the Broncos on Sunday against the Texans, he’ll be going against a team coached by DeMeco Ryans, another first-round pick from the class of 2006.
“I think when he’s 55, he’s going to be able to block the D-gap,” Payton said of Lewis. “We used to say that about Vinny Testaverde, like when he’s 60, he’s still going to throw a pretty ball. I just think that all the other things that come with him are assets for our team.”
The team is otherwise doing very well, at 6-2. The Lewis signing addresses one of the Broncos’ few glaring needs.
Texans starting wide receivers Nico Collins and Christian Kirk were back at practice on Wednesday. Both were limited.
The Texans won without Collins and Kirk on Sunday, beating the 49ers.
Collins remains in concussion protocol after missing Sunday’s game, but coach DeMeco Ryans expressed confidence in Collins’ availability for this week.
Kirk missed the first two games with his hamstring injury, returned for Weeks 3-5 and has missed the past two games after re-injuring it. He has only 10 catches for 109 yards.
“If Nico and Kirk clears, we’re hoping that looks great for us,” Ryans said, via Aaron Wilson of KPRC. “We got two of our top playmakers back out on the field. Anytime we can get those guys out, they add an explosive element to our offense, playmaker element to our offense.
“Those guys have done it for a long time. We’re excited to be able to get those guys back. We’re hoping the week goes as good as it can go so we can get them back.”
Tight end Dalton Schultz (knee/shoulder), defensive end Denico Autry (knee), defensive end Dylan Horton (knee) and offensive guard Laken Tomlinson (rest) did not practice on Wednesday.
Wide receiver Braxton Berrios (chest), fullback Jakob Johnson (hamstring) and safety Jalen Pitre (foot) were limited.
Marcedes Lewis still isn’t ready to hang up his cleats.
The 41-year-old tight end has agreed to sign with the Broncos, according to multiple reports.
Denver has been seeking help at tight end with multiple injuries at the position. Lewis fits the bill as a solid blocker.
A first-round pick in 2006 — the same year Mario Williams went No. 1 and Reggie Bush went No. 2 — Lewis is entering his 20th pro season. He had played all 17 games in each of the last four seasons before he went unsigned this offseason. In 2024, he was on the field for 19 percent of Chicago’s offensive snaps and 12 percent of special teams snaps.
He caught just one 2-yard pass for Chicago last year. He has just 11 receptions over the last three seasons, despite playing all 17 games in each of them.
In his 285 career games with 229 starts, Lewis has caught 437 passes for 5,115 yards with 40 touchdowns for the Jaguars, Packers, and Bears.
