ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Jordan Norwood's season is over.

The fifth-year wide receiver tore his anterior cruciate ligament while going up for a pass during Wednesday's practice. He will be placed on injured reserve, ending his 2014 season.

Norwood's injury is a blow to the special teams, and leaves the team's punt-return possibilities in flux. He was listed as the second-team punt returner behind Wes Welker and ahead of rookie Isaiah Burse.

But with Welker expected to be used only to catch punts inside the 10-yard-line or in close-and-late situations, Norwood was getting punt-return opportunities, and led the Broncos in punt return yards and average (18.5 yards) through two preseason games.

But the loss of Norwood also hurts the team's depth at wide receiver. If he had managed to stick on the 53-man roster, he would have provided an experienced option on the second team -- and could have been called into extensive duty in the case of injuries.

Norwood's first-team repetitions had increased in the last week, and he caught a pass from Peyton Manning in the 34-0 win over the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday. He was second on the team with 54 yards on four receptions in the preseason.