Quarterback Jaxson Dart has provided the Giants offense with a jolt of life over the last three weeks and it has extended beyond the plays he’s made on the field.
Dart’s exuberance and energetic celebrations have been as noticeable as the plays he’s made with his feet and through the air while leading the Giants to a pair of wins. The Broncos are the next team up on their schedule and keeping that bravado in check is of great concern to their linebacker Jonathon Cooper.
Cooper was asked on Wednesday if he thought the lack of tape on Dart would be problematic and it was not the first thing that came to his mind.
“No, I would say no,” Cooper said, via 104.3 The Fan. “Not to that standpoint because once you have played enough in this league, you’ve seen enough good quarterbacks. We play one of the best quarterbacks twice a year every single year. So once you go against that, you kind of get a feel of the game and you know what you need to do. You have to make him feel uncomfortable in the pocket, can’t let him get that confidence and that ego going. We just have to take care of that.”
Dart’s good side was in evidence at home against the Chargers and Eagles, but he failed to protect the ball in their road loss to New Orleans. Sunday’s game will be in Denver, so Dart won’t be able to feed off the crowd as he tries to lead the team to a third win in four tries.
Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw is back on the practice field.
The Broncos designated Greenlaw for return from injured reserve today, and he practiced with the team.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Greenlaw will play this week against the Giants, but he’ll be eligible to do so if the Broncos choose to activate him to the 53-player roster.
During his time with the 49ers, Greenlaw was an excellent player when healthy, but he was plagued by injuries and missed almost all of the 2021 season and almost all of the 2024 season. He signed with the Broncos this year but hasn’t played for them yet because of a quad injury.
The Giants have been shorthanded at wide receiver in recent weeks and they remained so at practice on Wednesday.
Darius Slayton missed Week 6’s win over the Eagles with a hamstring injury and he did not take part in the team’s first on-field work ahead of this Sunday’s game in Denver. Jalin Hyatt (ankle) was listed as a limited participant.
Cornerback Deonte Banks (personal), linebacker Swayze Bozeman (ankle), linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (hamstring), and center John Michael Schmitz (concussion) were also out of practice.
Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (shoulder, back), defensive lineman Chauncey Golston (neck), and defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris (knee) were all listed as limited participants.
The Broncos had a strong defensive performance in Sunday’s win over the Jets in London and one of their players is being recognized.
The NFL has named linebacker Jonathon Cooper AFC defensive player of the week.
Cooper finished the 13-11 win with 2.0 sacks, a tackle for loss, and five total tackles. He was the only AFC linebacker with at least five tackles and 2.0 sacks in Week 6.
This is Cooper’s first career defensive player of the week award.
The Broncos will come home to face the Giants in Week 7.
The Broncos officially signed defensive back J.T. Gray from the Ravens’ practice squad, and they promoted offensive guard Calvin Throckmorton to the active roster, the team announced Tuesday.
In corresponding moves, the Broncos placed offensive lineman Matt Peart (knee) and linebacker Garret Wallow (hamstring) on injured reserve.
The Broncos also announced they signed offensive lineman Karsen Barnhart and defensive end Garrett Nelson to their practice squad and placed wide receiver Thayer Thomas on the practice squad injury list.
Gray’s signing, which was previously reported, reunites him with Broncos head coach Sean Payton and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi. After spending his first seven NFL seasons with the Saints, Gray joined the Ravens’ practice squad in September.
Throckmorton, a fifth-year player, has appeared in 49 games with 27 starts since entering the league in 2021. He spent most of the first six weeks of the season on Denver’s practice squad before being elevated for the Broncos’ Week 6 game against the Jets.
Peart played all 60 snaps against the Jets but underwent medical testing upon the team’s return to Denver. It marks the second consecutive week the Broncos have placed their starting left guard on injured reserve, with Peart following Ben Powers (biceps).
Wallow, who injured his hamstring against the Jets, played 90 special teams snaps this season. That is 63 percent of the team’s special teams snaps. He has not played a defensive snap.
