The Broncos will  be without one of their best defensive players in their last game of the season Sunday against the Raiders. 

Defensive tackle Shelby Harris will not play this weekend after being placed on the IR Thursday. Harris had a sore knee Monday after the Chargers game and it’s unknown if he’ll have to have surgery, Fangio said. 

“Yeah, I don’t think Shelby will be able to play this week,” Fangio said. “He showed up Monday with a knee that was bothering him, and they’re into the process of evaluating that — the best way to treat it. So, it’s unlikely that he’ll play this week.”

Harris will finish the season having missed five games and totaling 32 tackles and 2.5 sacks. 

As for outside linebacker Bradley Chubb who missed last week’s game due to an ankle injury, Fangio said his availability Sunday is currently “50-50.” Chubb was a limited participant at practice Thursday. 

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Chubb wins Ed Block Courage Award

Chubb was selected by his teammates as this year’s Ed Block Courage Award recipient, which is given each year to the Bronco who exemplifies commitments to the principles of sportsmanship and courage. Chubb was chosen after overcoming his season-ending ACL injury a year ago on Sept. 29, 2019. He has since made his first Pro Bowl. 

“It’s a great culmination to his entire rehab process. He got an A-plus grade for the way he approached the rehab from the day he started it,” Fangio said. “I saw how he carried it through in the offseason. He was very, very diligent, never let it get him down — our trainer said he was unbelievable in his approach. You’re always going to hit a roadblock or two in rehab and he realized that and fought through it each and every time.

“I’m very happy for him, very proud for him to have that Ed Block Award. It’s a great award. It’s an award that’s been around a long time in the NFL. I’ve been to the banquet a couple of times with previous players that I’ve coached, and [I’m] really happy for Bradley.” 

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Past Broncos winners include Brandon Marshall (2015), Chris Harris Jr. (2014), Terrell Davis (2001), Rod Smith (1999) and John Elway (1991), among others. 

Broncos donate $250,000-plus to social justice initiatives 

The Broncos announced Thursday that they’ve donated $250,000-plus toward player-designated social justice programs in Colorado and a few individual players’ local communities. This donation was organized by the Broncos’ Inspire Change Program, which was launched in September by the team to help educate and raise awareness for social injustices. 

Safety Justin Simmons has been a key component of this initiative and his foundation was one of the organizations that the money went toward. 

“I think what’s great about it is — a few years ago when Colin Kaepernick was taking a knee alongside other notable guys around the league, there was a big kind of taken back factor of questions occurring and a lot of criticism,” Simmons said. “Then to see the little steps that we’ve taken — not just as an organization in Denver, but I think in the NFL — just the little steps that we’ve seen them take have been steps in the right direction, but always looking to keep that going.

“It’s been great seeing all the support and all of the communication heading in the right direction. I just hope it’s not just because this year was so prominent in bringing all those things up. I hope that happens for years and years to come because we know how powerful the shield is and the NFL can be and there could be a lot of good change coming with that support.”