Coach Vance Joseph said that the Broncos' Week 10 bye would "absolutely" factor into Freeman's (ankle) availability for Sunday's game against the Texans, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports. The Broncos are listing Freeman as questionable for the contest.
A multi-game hiatus always seemed to be a likely outcome for Freeman after he was diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain following the Broncos' Week 7 win over the Cardinals, but the rookie improved his chances of limiting his absence to one game after he returned to the practice field this week. While he was in uniform Thursday, Freeman ultimately went down as a non-participant in practice on the Broncos' official injury report, but it appears he was able to demonstrate enough progress in Friday's session to avoid being ruled out prior to the weekend. Freeman's questionable tag implies he has a 50-50 shot to play Sunday, but Joseph's comments suggest the odds are probably lower than that. Even if Freeman gains clearance to play, there's a good possibility he'll handle only a limited role, which would clear the way for No. 1 back Phillip Lindsay to pick up another sizable workload.