–Broncos tight end Jake Butt suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during Thursday’s practice and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2018 season.
Said head coach Vance Joseph “Jake has worked his tail off to recover from his previous injuries, and we feel terrible for him. He’s a great kid who’s developed into a very good football player. We have no doubt Jake will come back stronger than ever.”
Butt (6-6, 250 pounds) is a second-year player who started Denver’s first three games in 2018 and ranked third on the team with eight catches for 85 yards (10.6 average). Selected by the Broncos in the fifth round (145th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft, Butt spent his rookie season on injured reserve after recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered during his final collegiate game at the University of Michigan.
–Undrafted rookie kicker Matt McCrane, who was with the Arizona Cardinals in preseason, was signed Wednesday by the Raiders. Mike Nugent, whose last play for the Raiders was a desperation, 52-yard field-goal attempt with 25 seconds left in Miami, was placed on injured reserve with a hip problem and will not return this season.
So, a team with a rich history in punters/kickers, goes into Sunday’s game against Cleveland with McCrane as the kicker, Johnny Townsend as the punter/holder and recently-signed long snapper Trent Sieg (replacing Andrew DePaola, out with an ACL injury).
Raider Nation probably won’t yet compare this group with Hall of Famers Ray Guy and George Blanda or Shane Lechler and Sebastian Janikowski in the team’s unusually rich history of special teams players.
McCrane was 4-for-4 in preseason and Gruden recalled him hitting two field goals of more than 50 yards at Kansas State (53 and 54).
–Offensive tackle Donald Penn, who played 18 snaps against Miami before being replaced by T. J. Clemmings, joined practice Wednesday during non-padded play as he continues to improve his concussion protocol status.
