Broncos Player Gets Good News as NFL Takes Disciplinary Action

The Denver Broncos have already played their game in Week 10, and they are resting up before beginning preparations to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11, but they are still seeing fallout following their Week 9 win over the Houston Texans.

Notably, there is a common denominator in two of the three most noteworthy items, and it is a player whose status looms large for the Broncos. That player is running back J.K. Dobbins.

One Broncos player also benefited from a ruling the NFL decided not to make.

Kris Abrams-Draine Avoids Punishment From NFL

GettyKris Abrams-Draine #31 of the Denver Broncos tackles C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans.

Second-year Broncos cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine found himself in the middle of a veritable firestorm in Week 9, laying a big hit on Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. Stroud suffered a concussion on the hit, but it was the result of hitting his head on the turf.

Abrams-Draine also avoided drawing a flag on the play because he hit Stroud in the chest with his shoulder.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was adamant that the penalty should have been called.

“C.J. scrambled. Of course, he tried to – he slid, and the guy you know came up and hit him. As I see, it’s unnecessary roughness,” Ryans told reporters on November 2. “He hit the quarterback when he’s sliding and giving himself up. If I’m incorrect on the rule, I’ve seen that happen multiple times, and with our guys, and we get the penalty. But for some reason, it just didn’t happen there.”

He toned down his rhetoric the following day, and his initial comments drew criticism as previous remarks about one of his players, Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, after a hit on Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, aimed to paint a similar situation in a vastly different light.

Ryans said the “rule is there to protect the quarterbacks” in the league and that they need to “be safe” and slide appropriately, while making “sure we’re keeping our heads down.”

In the end, Abrams-Draine avoids punishment while starting for the injured Pat Surtain II.

Azeez Al-Shaair Fined Over Hit on J.K. Dobbins in Broncos-Texans

GettyAzeez Al-Shaair #0 of the Houston Texans reacts after a tackle against the Denver Broncos.

Al-Shaair drew a fine in this game. He tackled Dobbins in the fourth quarter of the Broncos’ eventual 18-15 win. It was on a pass play that lost 2 yards. Al-Shaair did not draw a flag for the play, nor did Dobbins protest.

According to the NFL’s Football Operations portal on November 8, though, Al-Shaair drew a $17,389 fine for “unnecessary roughness” for a “hit on a defenseless player.”

That was not the only penalty drawn, again, against the Texans.

Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson was fined $5,949 for “unsportsmanlike conduct” after “taunting” following a deep reception in the third quarter.

For Dobbins and the Broncos, it is merely the first of what they hope is justice served, following another potential fine-worthy play in Week 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders on “Thursday Night Football.”

Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson tackled Dobbins using what the Broncos star has repeatedly asserted was the illegal “hip-drop” method.

Dobbins suffered a foot injury on the play and is seeking a second opinion on the severity.

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