The Broncos are putting running back RJ Harvey on injured reserve after he was hurt in practice this week. Pro Football Talk and Yahoo Sports both carried the news. Yahoo's reports say the injury is to his knee. One Yahoo item says Harvey goes on short-term IR, which would keep him out at least four games. That timeline and the short-term designation appear only in that item. The other summaries we have don't mention how long he will be out.
NFL Trade Rumors, citing Mike Klis, put the move in context. Denver made a series of roster moves Saturday for its Week 8 game against the Chiefs. Besides placing Harvey on injured reserve, the Broncos elevated running back Cody Schrader and offensive lineman Gavin Ortega to the active roster. They also signed safety Taylor Rapp. The summary cuts off after that, so the full list may be longer.
Harvey's role this season went beyond carries. In six games he has 24 rushes for 87 yards, 3.6 per carry, with one touchdown. He has also caught 25 passes on 28 targets for 217 yards and another score, including a 52-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the win at Arizona on Oct. 25. He has returned six kicks for 175 yards. His 10 catches for 68 yards at San Francisco on Oct. 4 were his biggest receiving day of the year. His work has been spread across several jobs. How the Broncos split those jobs now is the open question.
Schrader is the obvious replacement at running back. Our archive has no regular-season 2026 carries for him. In the preseason he had 13 carries for 42 yards and six catches for 90 yards against Minnesota on Aug. 28. Rapp has played two games for Denver this season, with eight tackles. His signing and Schrader's elevation both come from the Klis-sourced list.
The injury comes while Denver is playing well. The Broncos are 5-2, second in the AFC West, and have won three straight: 23-17 at the Chargers on Oct. 11, 17-14 over Seattle on Oct. 15 and 30-16 at Arizona on Oct. 25. The offense scored 30 in its most recent game, and Harvey had a touchdown in it.
Sun, Nov 1, 4:25 PM ET
The first test without Harvey is Sunday's game against Kansas City on Nov. 1. If the four-game minimum Yahoo reported is right, he will miss that game and the three after it. The earliest he could return would then be Week 12.
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