Wes Welker officially cleared
Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker (83) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 51-28. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Denver Broncos star slot receiver Wes Welker has had a history of concussions, so the team was wise to hold him out of the final two games of the regular season and rest him for the playoffs. The Broncos easily disposed of the Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders behind their superior passing game, and they have so many weapons that Welker is simply a luxury. He isn’t a luxury against better defenses (like, say, the Seattle Seahawks), but he clearly wasn’t needed against either the Texans or Raiders. The Broncos have locked up a playoff bye, and the decision to rest up Welker was definitely a wise one made by John Fox and the rest of the organization.
Welker has always been expected to be ready for the playoffs without any issues, and we have confirmation that he is good-to-go. The Denver Post’s Mike Klis reports that Welker has been officially cleared to play, which is excellent news for the Broncos. They don’t know who they will have to face in the divisional round of the playoffs, but they do know that they’ll have the league’s best slot receiver on their slide to help slice them in the middle of the field and free up the likes of Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker even more.
Again, Welker’s status for the playoffs was never in doubt, as the Broncos were merely doing everything possible to give much-needed rest to the concussed star, and he’s a full-go for the postseason. The Broncos need the best offense in the history of the NFL to live up to its billing in each game and dominate, since the defense could be in some trouble if it underperforms, especially in the light of Von Miller’s ACL tear.