The Denver Broncos received a significant boost on the injury front ahead of their Week 16 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.Â
Rookies RJ Harvey and Pat Bryant are officially cleared to play Sunday.
The news was first reported Friday afternoon by DNVRâs Zac Stevens, who noted that both players practiced again to close out the week.Â
They completed a full slate of work and removed any lingering doubt about their availability for Sunday.Â
That update aligns with the Broncosâ final injury reports, which showed continued progress throughout the week and pointed toward a return for two important offensive contributors.Â
The timing could not be better for Denver to get two key offensive players back in a huge matchup with major AFC seeding implications.Â
RJ Harvey and Pat Bryant Back From Injury
Harvey had a brief scare last week after exiting late in the fourth quarter with a rib injury.Â
The moment raised concern given his increasing workload in recent weeks, but the team quickly downplayed the severity.Â
Harvey returned to practice as a full participant earlier in the week and never appeared to suffer a setback.Â
This signaled the injury was more of a pain-management issue more than a real concern on structural damage to his ribs.Â
Bryantâs situation followed a different path.
The rookie wide receiver missed last weekâs game due to a hamstring injury.Â
However, Bryant steadily ramped up his activity, remaining a full participant in practice on both Thursday and Friday.Â
Broncos lead writer Aric DiLalla confirmed that Bryant capped off a full week of work, a strong indicator the team is confident in his readiness to return without limitations.
Why Their Availability Matters for Denver
Having both Harvey and Bryant available gives the Broncos a huge boost offensively.Â
Harvey has emerged as a main RB for Denver after Dobbins went down with injury.Â
Heâs taken on a massive workload with 17 and 19 carries in his last two games.Â
Harvey leads all rookies in touchdowns and his ability to catch passes out of the backfield is huge against a Jaguars defense that is No. 1 in the NFL against the run.Â
Meanwhile, Bryant has quietly carved out a meaningful role in the receiver rotation.Â
Prior to his injury, Bryant had 12 catches for 156 yards in his last three games.Â
His ability to extend the field on deep passes have been on full display with four catches over 20 yards and two catches over 43 yards in his last four games.Â
With the Broncos currently holding the No. 1 seed and the Jaguars sitting at No. 3 in the AFC, Sundayâs matchup carries significant seeding ramifications.
The Broncos enter Sundayâs matchup with major implications across the AFC playoff picture, including an opportunity to further separate themselves in the AFC West and maintain control of the conferenceâs No. 1 seed.
A win would keep Denver firmly in charge of the AFC West while strengthening its path toward home-field advantage in January.
The Broncos would not be where they are now without the impact of their two key rookies so having Harvey and Bryant back on the field is critical.Â
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us .
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Broncos Get Encouraging Injury Update on Two Key Rookies Ahead of Jaguars Matchup appeared first on Heavy Sports .