Zach

Allen

After already leaving once in the second half, Smith was hit by Broncos DL Zach Allen while throwing a short completion to TE Brock Bowers, landing hard on his right, throwing shoulder. Smith was visibly in pain and was immediately taken to the locker room. He was replaced by backup QB Kenny Pickett, who finished the drive with a turnover on downs. Before exiting, Smith completed 13-of-21 passes for 116 yards and one touchdown and rushed once for four yards.

Allen remained down after hitting Daniel Jones on the Colts’ first drive. It was unclear what exactly the injury was but he was eventually able to jog off the field after being examined by trainers. He returned shortly thereafter.

Allen was entering the last year of his contract, but got rewarded with a four-year extension. The 27-year-old was given a deal that includes $69.5 million in guaranteed money, according to Schefter. Allen is now the third-highest paid defensive lineman in average annual value. He had 8.5 sacks last year and a total of 25 sacks in his last five years in the NFL. Allen’s extension comes on the heels of a new deal for wide receiver Courtland Sutton as new Broncos ownership hasn’t been afraid to lock up key players.

Denver will be without Allen, though it might not matter much against an underwhelming Vegas offensive line. Dulcich has been a healthy scratch for over a month now, leaving Nate Adkins as the nominal TE1.

Allen was added to the injury report on Friday with the heel issue after a limited practice. The former Cardinal signed a three-year deal with Denver in the offseason. He has five sacks and a dozen TFLs this year.

The deal includes $32.5 million in guaranteed money. A former third-round pick, Allen’s role slowly grew throughout his time in Arizona. That culminated in him starting all 13 games he was healthy for in 2022 while earning a career-high in snap share. He repaid Arizona with the best year of his career. Allen totaled 5.5 sacks and 10 TFLs while breaking up eight passes. The breakout season earned him a sizable paycheck in free agency. Allen is also following defensive coordinator Vance Joseph to Denver, making the transition to his new team far easier.

It’s a big loss as Allen has racked up 5.5 sacks and 8 passes defensed next to J.J. Watt. With the Cardinals basically dead in the water, Allen is at risk of being shut down for the season.

Arizona also activated defensive lineman Zach Allen from the COVID list. Both players have been out for the past two games. Jones has five sacks, all of which came in Week 1, and 14 QB hits on the year. Allen has one sack and a pair of TFLs. Both players started every game before landing on the COVID list.

Fellow edge rusher Isaiah Irving (neck) has also been sent to I.R. The Cardinals’ official website believes Allen could return when first eligible in Week 11. The second-year third-rounder has one sack on 205 snaps. His loss mostly hurts from a depth perspective after the Cardinals were forced to place Chandler Jones on season-ending I.R.

Allen hadn’t played since Week 4 after being the No. 65 overall pick in April. He didn’t register a sack as a rookie. In a corresponding move, the Cardinals signed DT Miles Brown off their practice squad.