Williams’ sack binge continues
Deshawn Williams didn’t record a sack in Denver’s first 11 games this season.
The defensive lineman is making up for lost time.
Williams, a journeyman turned starter for the Broncos, logged a career-best 2.5 sacks Sunday against Arizona. That gives him 4.5 in December after he registered a pair against Baltimore two weeks ago.
“At first, I told him I thought it was D. J. (Jones), the white sleeves, the magic white sleeves, so it was hard to tell,” outside linebacker Randy Gregory said after the game. “The interior play has picked up a lot not just with him but as a unit. You see Dre’mont (Jones) go down and you want guys to step up. D-will’s been one of those guys, D.J.’S been one of those guys, Mike (Purcell) has been probably one of the most consistent guys on the line the entire year.
“That’s what you want to see, guys step up that way.”
Williams, in his third overall stint with the Broncos, is a free agent after the season and is putting together a case for a potential return.
REVOLVING DOOR>> Denver lost right guard Quinn Meinerz to an eye injury on the first drive of the game.
He went down on a run play and came off the field holding a towel over his right eye and did not return. Tom Compton stepped into his spot and eventually exited due to a back injury. That’s troubling for Compton, who missed the first 10 weeks of the season on the physically unable to perform list after having back surgery to fix a disc issue in his back before the season.
Left guard Dalton Risner was questionable with a shoulder/back issue and left in the middle of the game due to an elbow injury. He was able to return. Rookie Luke Wattenberg stepped in for Risner at left guard and then later for Compton at right guard.
“I can’t say enough about the offensive line, man,” quarterback Brett Rypien said. “They’ve been through so much this year, just a bunch of guys moving around to different positions.”
INACTIVES>> In addition to quarterback Russell Wilson (concussion) and wide receivers Courtland Sutton ( hamstring) and Kendall Hinton ( hamstring), the Broncos’ inactive list included tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, cornerback Michael Ojemudia, offensive lineman Quinn Bailey and defensive lineman Elijah Garcia.
DRE’MONT JONES UPDATE>>
Defensive lineman Dre’mont Jones, who was placed on injured reserve Saturday with a hip injury, will not need surgery, he said Sunday after the game. He suffered a fracture in his hip on a passrush against Kansas City last week. He is looking at a recovery time period of around six weeks.