Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love is improving, Mike LaFleur said.
Love, though, did not practice Wednesday.
Love has not practiced since Oct. 9 due to a lingering ankle injury. He injured the ankle in Week 4, played 36 of 73 snaps in Week 5 and missed the Week 6 win over the Rams on Sunday.
The Cardinals also practiced without safety Budda Baker (groin/illness), defensive lineman Walter Nolen III (ankle), offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo (rest), outside linebacker Josh Sweat (rest), cornerback Garrett Williams (knee), offensive lineman Jedrick Wills Jr. (illness) and safety Andrew Wingard (knee).
Rookie quarterback Carson Beck (back), cornerback Max Melton (knee) and safety Wydett Williams Jr. (concussion) were limited.
Broncos Clips
Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper returned to practice Wednesday after spending the first six weeks on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. Cooper was arrested twice in seven days in June on domestic violence charges, prompting the paid leave of absence.
Cooper would not answer specific questions about his case, which is scheduled for a March 2 trial, during his first media session since his June 4 and 11 arrests.
“Nobody’s perfect, but there’s no excuses,’' Cooper said, via Jeff Legwold of ESPN, “and I do hold myself accountable and things are going to sort themselves out. I promise that.’'
Cooper is facing five charges after two disputes with his ex-girlfriend that began with a fight over a cell phone. The most serious charge is felony second-degree assault/strangulation.
The NFL has left open the possibility of further punishment for Cooper once his legal matter is resolved.
He was asked what he would say to people, particularly female fans.
“Honestly . . . that’s hard,” Cooper said. “I feel like relationships are difficult, [but] no excuses on my end. I do apologize for anybody’s feelings, truthfully, because you have to be associated with me. I’m a grown man. I’m able to take things on the chin, and I understand the concern, the awareness, how serious these matters are. The legal matters will take care of themselves.”
A seventh-round pick in 2021, Cooper has 31.5 sacks in 81 career games with the Broncos.
The Broncos welcomed a couple of defensive players back to practice on Wednesday.
Cornerback Pat Surtain II took part in practice for the first time since injuring his ankle in Week 4. Surtain was participating in the portion of practice open to the media and his full level of work will be noted on the team’s injury report.
Linebacker Jonathon Cooper also practiced with the team for the first time since being taken off the Commissioner Exempt list. Cooper missed the first six games of the season and the Broncos have a roster exemption for him through their Week 7 game against the Cardinals.
On the other side of the ball, the Broncos have designated running back Jonah Coleman for return from injured reserve. He’s missed the last four games with an ankle injury and can be activated at any point in the next 21 days.
The Cowboys announced that former defensive back Cornell Green died Wednesday. He was 86.
Green grew up in California as an elite basketball player, earning all-state honors. He went to Utah State, where he earned All-America honors in 1961 and ’62. His 1,067 rebounds still stand as the school’s career record, and he is Utah State’s sixth-leading scorer with 1,890 points.
He had planned to join the NBA after the Chicago Zephyrs drafted him in 1962, but the Cowboys offered Green an invite to training camp.
Despite only one year of football experience — his junior year of high school — Green made the Cowboys’ roster.
Green never missed a game over the next 13 seasons, starting 167 of 168 games after his rookie season.
He played cornerback his first eight seasons. Green led the Cowboys in interceptions four times, earned three Pro Bowl invites and garnered two first-team All-Pro honors.
In 1970, Green moved to safety, where he was named a Pro Bowler again in 1971 and ’72.
He played in two NFL Championship Games and Super Bowl V before helping the Cowboys win the Lombardi Trophy with a 24-3 victory over the Dolphins in Super Bowl VI.
Green retired after the 1974 season and went into scouting. He worked for the Cowboys and Broncos, earning NFL Scout of the Year in 2010.
Green’s 34 career interceptions are tied for fifth in the team record book.
The Rams have found a new kicker.
According to multiple reports, veteran Brandon McManus has agreed to join Los Angeles.
McManus, 35, was most recently with the Packers last season. He made 24-of-30 field goals and 32-of-33 extra points in 14 regular season games. But in the playoff loss to Chicago, he missed two field goals and an extra point, leading the Packers to move on in the offseason.
McManus is a Super Bowl champion, having won it with Denver to cap the 2015 season. He made all 10 field goals and all three extra points in that postseason run.
In 186 career regular-season games, McManus has made 82.0 percent of his field goals and 97.4 percent of his extra points.
Los Angeles placed kicker Blake Grupe on injured reserve on Monday after he suffered a torn ACL during Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. The club had released Harrison Mevis last week after a rough start to the season.
The Rams will be on the road to face the Raiders in Week 7.
Although an unresolved question lingers regarding whether or not the numbers are inflated by anyone who visits Amazon Prime and gets an autoplay video of the game, the official, Nielsen-generated numbers for Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football keep improving.
The Week 6 game between the Seahawks and Broncos averaged 16.26 million viewers. In its fifth game of 2026, Prime Video posted a higher number than the corresponding week in 2025.
The five-week average is 17.29 million, a nine-percent bump over the 2025 pace, and 13 percent above the full-season average.
The 2026 Week 6 audience bested the 2025 Week 6 audience (Eagles-Giants) by one percent.
This week, the schedule deals Prime Video a good one — the 4-2 Patriots vs. the 4-2 Bears. Hopefully, neither of the quarterbacks will play like “garbage.”
After Thursday night’s overtime win by the Broncos over the Seahawks, Prime Video’s Ryan Fitzpatrick sharply criticized quarterback Bo Nix, calling his performance “garbage.”
Broncos coach Sean Payton clearly doesn’t see it that way.
On Monday, Payton was asked by reporters whether he has considered making a quarterback change.
“To answer your question, no,” Payton said. “He’s going to become the byproduct of all the finer things that get improved. The improved play from our offensive line, the more efficient we are relative to balance, running the football. That’s our jobs as coaches here. We talked after the game about we’re excited to get that win, and yet at the same time find that improvement we need in all areas. So, it starts with all of us.”
Payton also was asked whether he listens to any of the media comments about Nix, including Fitzpatrick’s remarks.
“I try to focus on the next day here,” Payton said. “We’re trying to focus on getting ready to play Arizona. That’s kind of where our attention is.”
Payton could have taken the bait to talk about Fitzpatrick. Payton chose not to do it. If he had chimed in, Payton’s response could have been nearly as entertaining as Aqib Talib’s takedown of Fitzpatrick.
Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick will get another chance to evaluate and critique Nix. The Broncos face the Steelers on Black Friday, and the game will be televised by Prime Video.
Former Broncos G.M. John Beake recently died. He was 87.
Beake, pictured with former Broncos coach Dan Reeves, spent 22 years with the Denver organization. He served as the General Manager until 2000.
“The Broncos are saddened by the passing of longtime executive John Beake, who made an enduring impact on our organization during more than two decades with the team,” the Broncos said in a statement. “John helped guide the Broncos to five Super Bowl appearances, including back-to-back World Championships, and was a respected leader throughout one of the most successful eras in franchise history. Following his time in Denver, he remained an influential figure through his work with the NFL and on the Broncos Ring of Fame Committee. Our deepest condolences are with his wife, Marcia, his sons, Chip and Chris, and the entire Beake family.”
Before joining the Broncos in 1979, he worked as an assistant coach with the Chiefs from 1968 to 1974 and the Saints from 1976 through 1977. Beake was on Hank Stram’s coaching staff when Kansas City won Super Bowl IV.
After leaving the Broncos, Beake worked for the league office.
After Prime Video’s Ryan Fitzpatrick teed off on Broncos quarterback Bo Nix following Thursday night’s overtime win over the Seahawks, former NFL cornerback Aqib Talib chastised Fitzpatrick with a long recital of his career accomplishments.
Fitzpatrick had the next word, which is likely not the last word. Fitzpatrick posted a video in which he pretends to be talking to Talib, using clips from Talib’s rant.
It’s comical. And Fitzpatrick seems to be doing his best to have fun with it.
The only hint of a slap at Talib comes near the very end, when Fitzpatrick says, “This really has me questioning all my life decisions.”
Talib has a documented history of not-so-great life decisions away from football. And but for the fight at a youth football game that resulted in Talib’s brother shooting and killing a man, Talib would have been Fitzpatrick’s Thursday Night Football on-air colleague.
So the ball is now back in Talib’s court. It’s hard to imagine him not responding to Fitzpatrick.
Four years ago, Aqib Talib and Ryan Fitzpatrick were scheduled to become colleagues on Prime Video’s coverage of Thursday Night Football. If Talib hadn’t stepped aside from the job after his brother shot and killed a man at a youth football game, the most recent postgame show could have gotten very spicy.
After Thursday nights 17-14 overtime win by the Broncos over the Seahawks, Fitzpatrick went all in as to Broncos quarterback Bo Nix. Fitzpatrick called Nix’s performance “almost disrespectful to the quarterback position” before later saying, “That right there is garbage. That effort is garbage.”
It felt personal or, frankly, planted by someone from the Broncos in an effort to send a message to Nix. Either way, it was over the top. And it has prompted a reaction from Talib, whose career included a stint with the Broncos.
“You are disrespectful to the quarterback position because you suck,” Talib said on the Gridiron podcast. “Period.”
Talib had plenty more to say about Fitzpatrick.
“We’re talking about a guy who played for nine different teams in 17 years,” Talib added. “Ain’t nobody want his ass. We’re talking about a guy who only played for a team for more than two years once. That’s Buffalo. And his record as a starter in Buffalo was 19-35. That’s fucking suck. A guy who played 17 years, 147 starts, and never sniffed a playoff game. He never touched the playoffs ever. That’s disrespectful to the quarterback position.
“You suck. You suck, bro. We’re talking about a guy who got 169 interceptions, more interceptions than he has starts. How can a quarterback of his caliber talk about what is disrespectful to the quarterback position? I know Amazon is begging for you to be more entertaining, and you’ve just got to just blabber out some bullshit. Nobody’s worried about what Fitzpatrick said. Nobody was worried about playing against you. You suck.”
It’s a harsh, blunt critique from Talib. But it’s not much more harsh or blunt than what Fitzpatrick said about Nix. And it will be interesting to see whether Fitzpatrick has anything to say in response to Talib.
