Help could be on the way to the 4-2 Denver Broncos.
Those first six games were brutal, but the Broncos weathered the storm. As the schedule begins to ease up, a handful of Broncos are eligible to return from injured reserve.
Keep in mind that just because they're eligible to return doesn't mean they're healthy enough, nor that the Broncos are ready to activate them.
Let's take a look at the three Broncos eligible to return from IR, starting with the one most fans have been pining for since Week 2.
Jonah Coleman | RB
Coleman suffered an ankle injury in Week 2, though he finished the game and was a big reason the Broncos were able to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Broncos placed him on IR a few days after that game, and he's missed the four mandatory games to be eligible for return.
Activating Coleman is a no-brainer, but the exact timing of when the Broncos do so could be tied to what happens with Tyler Badie. Badie suffered a thumb injury last week against the Seattle Seahawks, and if his recovery is longer than a couple of weeks, he could end up on IR.
The Broncos started the season with four running backs on the 53-man roster, but they only ever dress three, plus fullback Adam Prentice. Coleman's return would put them back at four, but since the rookie hit IR, other demands may have affected the roster math, which is why we may not see news of Coleman's return until later in the week.
The fourth-round rookie out of Washington plays with tremendous vision and burst, which are two elements the Broncos' ground attack is sorely missing right now. Suffice it to say, this offense could really use him, given that J.K. Dobbins is averaging a career-low 3.3 yards per carry this season.
Frank Crum | OT
Crum suffered a knee injury in the preseason, and he's eligible to return, if he's healthy enough. We don't know that he is healthy, though, and it's not a subject Sean Payton tends to open up about.
One big question worth asking here is whether the Broncos need Crum. My answer would be no, unless there were an injury to Mike McGlinchey, at which point, Alex Palzcewski would step in at right tackle, and the Broncos could use Crum.
He's a super smart, athletic freak, but I wouldn't expect to see Crum back any time soon.
Caleb Lohner | TE (PUP List)
After an impressive showing at the Broncos' rookie minicamp, we haven't seen hide nor hair of Lohner. He went under the knife right before OTAs began for a "routine" clean-up procedure that wasn't supposed to impact his training camp availability.
Alas, it did. The Broncos kept him on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List, where he has remained. Given that Denver has already rostered one tight end it hasn't needed yet — rookie Dallen Bentley, who is yet to dress for a single game — I doubt the Broncos are urgently looking to get Lohner activated.
Then again, Payton seems to love Lohner, so that could change the thinking here. But I doubt it.
Not Yet Close: Pat Bryant | WR
Bryant went down with an ankle injury in Week 4, and with two games in the rearview since then, he has two more to go before he's eligible to return. Week 9's road game against the Carolina Panthers will be the soonest he can return, health-willing.
It was a shame to see Bryant get hurt because he was building up some nice momentum, and clearly has a connection with Bo Nix. The injury bug is no respector of persons, though.
Just when Bryant starts rolling, he gets hurt. That's been the theme through his first two NFL seasons; let's hope it's not a permanent one.
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