The Broncos will be without a pair of key defensive players Sunday in their season opener.
The question now is how much time each will miss.
Denver ruled out inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw (quad) and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach (calf) on Friday in moves that had been expected for each given the way the week has progressed.
Greenlaw didn’t practice at all this week and Payton indicated Monday that the team would take a “conservative” approach to the free agent linebacker’s workload.
“It’s a long season,” Payton said then. “So most important is having him not only healthy early on but for the long haul is the goal.