Denver Broncos safety Caden Sterns was carted off the field on the first play of the second quarter of Sunday's season-opening tilt with the Las Vegas Raiders. Sterns seemed to suffer a leg injury after knifing down to attempt a tackle on Raiders running back Josh Jacobs.
Sterns was almost immediately ruled out of returning.
It's a bad stroke of luck for the third-year safety, whom the Broncos have listed as a co-starter with Kareem Jackson. Denver's decision to bring Jackson back on a team-friendly one-year deal now seems prescient.
Sterns had an impressive rookie season after being drafted in the fifth round out of Texas in 2021. Then he suffered a hip injury in Year 2 that cost him most of the season.
The Broncos' hope was for Sterns to be Simmons' long-term safety partner, with Jackson now 35 years old in his 14th NFL season. There's still a chance of that happening, but an injury that would cost Sterns more than a few games would really hurt the odds of it becoming a reality.
With rookie sixth-rounder JL Skinner inactive, the Broncos will move forward on Sunday with Simmons, Jackson, Delarrin Turner-Yell, and Essang Bassey. However, Bassey is currently the Broncos' top nickel corner, so it'll be interesting to see how defensive coordinator Vance Joseph rolls with the punches.
We'll update you as soon as the extent of Sterns' injury is released.
More must-reads: