Things are going from bad to worse for the woeful Denver Broncos offense.
Per Mike Klis of KUSA, Denver has placed offensive tackle Menelik Watson on injured reserve.
Broncos to place RT Menelik Watson (foot) on IR; sign OT Cyrus Koundjio, per league sources.
According to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Watson has a torn tendon in his foot.
Watson, 28, played four seasons for the rival Oakland Raiders before signing a two-year deal with the Broncos this offseason. His replacement, Cyrus Kouandjio, is a former second-round pick who failed to make the Detroit Lions roster out of training camp.
There are a number of issues with Denver's offense, but a lot of them would be mitigated if the line was playing better. The Broncos have switched from quarterback Trevor Siemian to Brock Osweiler in hopes of kickstarting their passing game, but their inability to establish the run or pass block on long-developing plays has limited what they can do.
Watson contributed to the offensive line's struggles, but at least he was considered to be a good run-blocking tackle. Unless Kouandjio somehow starts living up to the potential scouts saw when he was a second-round pick back in 2014, pressure from the right side isn't going to slow down under his watch. Former Oklahoma tackle Donald Stephenson could also see some snaps at the position this week as well when the Broncos look to turn their season around against the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.
Unfortunately for Denver, New England's early-season struggles on defense have disappeared as of late. In their last four games, the Patriots have only given up an average of 12.75 points, the third-best mark in the NFL over that span.
