The Denver Broncos are navigating health concerns with several players, but one, starting offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz, is pushing through and performing like the best at his position while doing it.
Meinerz, who turns 27 on November 15, has played in all 17 regular-season games in back-to-back campaigns.
He does not plan on changing that this season, so long as his body cooperates.
The Broncos selected Meinerz with the No. 98 overall pick in the 2021 draft, and he has manned their starting right guard spot since mid-way through his rookie season.
A First Team All-Pro in 2024, he is now working through a new, still undefined issue.
“Just a little bit of an illness,’’ Meinerz told The Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson on November 13. “It’s something I’ve been battling here and there throughout the entire season. Still don’t necessarily have answers but working through it every single day, and we’ll see what happens.”
Meinerz told Tomasson that the illness is “random” and “some days I feel great, some days I don’t.”
He said the issue bothered him during the Broncos’ Week 10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Got some IVs and vitals,” Meinerz said, per 9News’ Mike Klis. “Glad I was able to go back out there. We needed to put the game away. And we did. We needed to get out of there and get to the (weekend) break. Start getting our bodies feeling a little bit better. I didn’t realize we played such a historic run of games. And on top of it, we played a historic run of games while also we had to come back in the 4th quarter a bunch.”
Meinerz has no intentions of missing the Broncos’ Week 11 tilt against the Kansas City Chiefs.
That is good news for the Broncos, and quarterback Bo Nix in particular. They are facing an aggressive Chiefs defense, and they have already been forced into shuffling their starting five multiple times this season.
Tomasson noted Meinerz’s toughness and that Pro Football Focus ranked the veteran third among all guards heading into Week 11.
Meinerz’s presence is key, with the Broncos still missing starting left guard Ben Powers, following a torn biceps that landed him on injured reserve. They hope to have him back in December, but that is not guaranteed.
When Powers went down, the Broncos turned to veteran Matt Peart. However, Peart landed on IR, too, suffering a knee injury in Week 6 against the New York Jets. It was his first start.
Former sixth O-lineman Alex Palczewski has since stepped in and performed well at LG.
The Broncos have been fortunate to emerge from in-game scares, particularly at right tackle with Mike McGlinchey. They have also avoided the injury woes that affected center Luke Wattenberg last season.
Still, the Broncos’ offensive line garnered kudos during the preseason for its intended starting five. Just like any team, they are not as good when they are not whole.
Keeping Meinerz in the mix is as much about his play as what it means for the group.
Meinerz is not only an intended starter for the Broncos, but he is also one of the best in the business. Meinerz being available means one less thing that Nix and the Broncos coaches, i.e., head coach Sean Payton and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, must gameplan for.
It also makes for fewer adjustments during games, because Meinerz has been so consistent.
With the Broncos facing a team like the Chiefs, who blitz at the NFL’s sixth-highest rate, per Pro Football Reference, Nix has enough on his plate.
The Denver Broncos received tough news Friday afternoon.
As NBC Sports noted, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that running back J.K. Dobbins will amiss Sunday’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs due to a significant foot injury.
Rapoport added that Dobbins is “believed to be out for the foreseeable future.”
His placement on injured reserve remains a real possibility as the team evaluates its options.
“Dobbins is still working through options, and while there is no final determination, IR remains a possibility,” Rapoport said.
The report came from himself and Tom Pelissero.
The development marks a quick escalation from earlier in the week, when Dobbins missed Wednesday and Thursday’s practices.
At that point, the team had not revealed the full severity of the injury.
Dobbins’ injury stems from a hip-drop tackle last Thursday against the Raiders, a play that left him frustrated enough to take to X and call for the move to be banned.
Dobbins ranks fifth in the NFL with 772 rushing yards and has been a huge part of Denver’s offense so far this season.
While Dobbins has officially been ruled out for Week 11, the next major decision comes quickly.
The Broncos must determine by Saturday afternoon whether to place him on injured reserve.
If he is moved to IR before Sunday, the Chiefs game will count toward a required four-game absence.
Placing Dobbins on IR would sideline him for matchups against the Chiefs, Commanders, Raiders, and Packers.
He would be eligible to return Week 16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Head coach Sean Payton acknowledged that discussions are ongoing.
“Nothing has been decided yet, and at some point there will be more clarity with him and some of these other players,” Payton said earlier this week.
Denver’s Week 12 bye gives the team a small cushion, but if the injury is significant enough to keep him out multiple weeks, the IR designation becomes more likely.
“With JK Dobbins potentially headed to Injured Reserve, all eyes turn to RJ Harvey,” Rapoport said.
RJ Harvey has already flashed his dynamic potential in limited work.
Payton praised Harvey’s running style, durability, and readiness to step into a larger role:
“When we drafted him, it was his running skillset, and he had a lot of touches at Central Florida,” Payton said.
“You are starting to see him grow in front of our eyes, and he will have more opportunities in this game.”
Tyler Badie will likely mix in as a third down guy, while Jaleel McLaughlin could be active as well.
Sunday’s divisional matchup against the Chiefs carries major playoff implications for both teams and Harvey has a huge opportunity to step up and flourish in the RB1 role.