General manager John Elway told reporters that Riddick (shoulder) will be placed on injured reserve, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports.

Riddick suffered a fractured shoulder when going out for a pass in Denver's second preseason contest. There was some question as to whether Denver would float the veteran back on the 53-man roster until he healed, but Elway indicated that down-roster spots are too precious for injuries that might take more than a few weeks to heal. When healthy, Riddick is a better, more established version of Devontae Booker -- a pass-catching back who Denver will keep for the time being. He figures to slide into the third-down role once available, but -- with other players like Jake Butt and Drew Lock also heading to injured reserve -- his reactivation is far from certain.