Denver Broncos right tackle Mike McGlinchey is expected to miss “about a month” after spraining his MCL during a 13-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, according to a report from NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Garafolo noted that evaluations are ongoing so the timeline “is somewhat fluid,” but the sprain is “significant,” so McGlinchey will miss time. If the Broncos believe the tackle is set to miss a month, they could place him on injured reserve to save a spot on the active roster. Players on IR are eligible to return after four games.
McGlinchey, 29, signed a five-year, $87.5 million contract with Denver in 2023. He started 16 games last fall and the first two games of this season before suffering the MCL injury.
After previously losing top backup swing guard/tackle Quinn Bailey to a season-ending ankle injury, the top remaining backup tackle on the depth chart is Matt Peart, although it was Alex Palczewski who filled in for two snaps on Sunday. The Broncos also have and Frank Crum on the active roster and Will Sherman on the practice squad.
Denver wanted to re-sign Demontrey Jacobs to the practice squad in August, but he was claimed off waivers by the New England Patriots after roster cuts.
The list of free agent offensive tackles available includes Cam Fleming, David Bakhtiari, Jason Peters and ex-Bronco Billy Turner. For now, Peart is probably the next man up in Denver.
