Broncos lose cornerback Darby to hamstring injury

The Broncos’ cornerback depth is being tested one game into the regular season.

Again.

Last year, they lost A.J. Bouye to a shoulder injury in the Week 1 loss to Tennessee and it started a near-weekly revolving door at the position. Six players appeared on the field for at least 200 snaps.

On Tuesday, the Broncos placed cornerback Ronald Darby on injured reserve/eligible to return with a hamstring strain sustained on the final possession of the opening-week win over the New York Giants.

At a minimum, Darby will miss the Broncos’ games against Jacksonville (Sunday), the New York Jets (Sept. 26) and Baltimore (Oct. 3).

The Broncos also placed receiver Jerry Jeudy (ankle) on injured reserve; he is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, but the team is confident he will return at some point later in the season.

To fill the two roster spots, the Broncos promoted receiver Kendall Hinton and cornerback Nate Hairston from the practice squad.

Darby played all 61 snaps against the Giants and the last play he was involved with was tackling receiver C.J. Board on a six-yard pass with one second remaining. Darby reported soreness to the training staff on Monday morning, a source said.

Minus Darby, rookie first-round pick Pat Surtain II is expected to start opposite Kyle Fuller in the Broncos’ base defense. Bryce Callahan will remain the “nickel” back.

Darby signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Broncos in March. He played 16 games for Washington last year, but has battled injuries (ankle in 2017, ACL in ’18 and hip in ’19).

Surtain, the ninth overall pick, played 16 snaps against the Giants.

Hairston will likely fill the fourth cornerback spot ahead of Mike Ford and rookie Kary Vincent. Hinton received the promotion over 2020 draft pick Tyrie Cleveland and ’21 draft pick Seth Williams.