Sports Roundup: Saturday, January 20, 2018

One of 10 gray wolves reintroduced to Colorado in December was found dead in Larimer County, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed. Federal officials found out about the wolf on Thursday, agency spokesperson Joe Szuszwalak said in an email Tuesday night. Initial evidence shows the wolf likely died of natural causes, Szuszwalak said.

There’s so much uncertainty about what the Broncos will do in the first round of the NFL Draft that someone could develop a migraine thinking about the various scenarios. From the Broncos potentially adding to their offensive line to addressing the need for an explosive running back, here are five storylines to watch out for during the draft, which starts on Thursday night. Trade up, trade down, or stand pat This is one of the biggest questions for the Broncos.

In the latest edition of the Nuggets Ink podcast, beat writer Bennett Durando and sports editor Matt Schubert reconvene after Jamal Murray’s buzzer-beating game-winner over Anthony Davis and the Lakers. Among the topics discussed: Jamal Murray has an all-time postseason resume that keeps growing. Is the killer over Davis the best of his shots to date? Down 20 with 10 minutes to play in the third quarter, the Nuggets erupted to beat the Lakers for the 10th straight time.

WINNIPEG — The New Jersey Devils returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs a year ago after a five-year absence, but Miles Wood’s personal experience was not the best. He was a healthy scratch for four of the seven games in the first round against the New York Rangers, in part because of a couple of penalties he took that contributed to the Devils starting in an 0-2 hole.

The Broncos have made perhaps one of their easiest decisions of the offseason. Denver exercised the fifth-year option on All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II’s rookie contract on Tuesday, keeping him under contract through 2025. Surtain, the ninth overall pick in 2021, will earn $6.6 million ($3.5 million guaranteed) in 2024, according to Over The Cap.

Dallas LeBeau knew how to ski before he knew how to walk. The 21-year-old skier and Winter Park coach who died attempting to jump over U. S. Highway 40 near the Berthoud Pass summit on April 9 had always been passionate about the sport and felt he needed to do something unique to make a name for himself in the industry, his mother Valerie LeBeau wrote in an email to the Denver Post. “He always wanted to do something big,” Dallas’s childhood friend Devin Shirk said.