Lloyd Cushenberry was placed on injured reserve by the Broncos when he recovered from his injury.
Lloyd Cushenberry, the Denver Broncos’ starting center, suffered a groin injury last season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Broncos shifted Graham Glasgow from guard to center when Cushenberry departed the game, and he anchored the offensive line for the rest of the season.
Cushenberry injured his groin two days later, and then-coach Nathaniel Hackett indicated the center would be out “a couple weeks.” Denver placed the third-year offensive tackle on injured reserve a week later.
Players are eligible to return from IR after four weeks (if healthy), however teams are limited to returning from IR just eight times per season.
Cushenberry informed reporters after the season finished and players were made available to media members in the locker room on Monday that he is “100%” and could have returned to the field in November, but the team elected to keep him on IR.
Cushenberry stated that he was advised the Broncos needed to bring back players from injured reserve during the season.
Denver’s offensive line might add up to three new starters this offseason, and Cushenberry appears unlikely to reclaim the starting role this summer after being basically benched while injured.
Cushenberry has one year left on his deal (he’ll have a budget hit of $1.4 million in 2023), but if he returns, it’ll most likely be as a backup.
