ENGLEWOOD — As a practical matter, Bradley Roby’s absence from team meetings Monday was not the Broncos’ biggest problem at their cornerback position.
A bigger problem has been their two 30-something-year-old cornerbacks alternating absences on game day because of soft-tissue injuries.
“It is what it is. We’ve got who we’ve got,’’ said Broncos head coach Vance Joseph. “We’ve got four corners healthy and we’ve got to go play a game. No one’s going to feel sorry for us.”
It’s Adam Jones’ turn this Sunday as the cornerback who will miss the game against the Los Angeles Rams because of a hamstring pull. It’s the second game in three weeks Jones will miss because of the injury.
He will be replaced by Tramaine Brock, who has been in-and-out of the lineup with a groin strain.
The rotation between Jones, 35, and Brock, 30, began in game 2 against Oakland when Jones yanked his hammy late in the first half and was replaced by Brock.
Jones didn’t play in game 3 at Baltimore, where Brock went down with his groin after six snaps. Brock didn’t play in game 4 against Kansas City as Jones returned to play 53 snaps.
Brock was inactive in game 5 against the New York Jets when Jones aggravated his hamstring on Isaiah Crowell’s 77-yard touchdown run and was pulled after just nine snaps.
With the game Sunday against the Rams followed by a short-week game Thursday at Arizona, the Broncos may have to rest Jones these next two games to get his hamstring healed. And hope Brock can hold up.
With Jones and Brock in-and-out of the lineup, the Broncos have had to rely on rookie Isaac Yiadom playing the No. 3 cornerback more than they would have liked this early in the season.
