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ENGLEWOOD, Colorado – Ahead of their Week 5 game in Pittsburgh, the Broncos will be reunited with one of their best players.
Denver activated cornerback Ronald Darby from the injured reserve to their 53-man roster, the team announced on Saturday.
The Broncos placed tight end Albert Okwuegbunam on the injured list in a matching move. Denver also elevated wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland to the game day list.
Darby is eligible to play against the Steelers on Sunday and could see his first action since suffering a hamstring injury in the Broncos’ Week 1 win over the Giants. Darby recorded six tackles and a pass defense in his only action of the season.
Head coach Vic Fangio said on Friday that if Darby was activated he would likely play limited snaps. Rookie Pat Surtain II started as right cornerback in Darby’s absence, while Kyle Fuller served as left cornerback.
“He was everything we hoped he would be,” Fangio said of Surtain on Thursday.
A year ago, Darby recorded 16 breakage passes and one fumble recovery. He recorded several interceptions in three of his six seasons leading up to 2021.
Okwuegbunam picked up an injury in practice Wednesday and will miss at least three games after catching nine passes for 57 yards and a touchdown in Denver’s first four games.
Cleveland, a 2020 seventh-round pick, will debut in the 2021 season if he’s active against the Steelers. The Florida product caught six passes for 63 yards last season.
Cleveland could provide the depth needed for the receiver’s position, as wide receivers Courtland Sutton (ankle) and Diontae Spencer (chest) are both considered dubious. Jerry Jeudy remains on IR, while KJ Hamler will miss the remainder of the season. Tim Patrick, Kendall Hinton and David Moore remain options for wide receiver.
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