On Friday, as the team trims its roster to 53 players, the Broncos placed defensive end Jeremy Beal on injured reserve.

Beal suffered a left knee injury in Thursday night’s preseason win against the Arizona Cardinals.

A seventh-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Beal spent last season on the team’s practice squad.

During the preseason, Beal was making his presence felt along the defensive line as he notched five tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits and a pass defensed.

The University of Oklahoma product is the fifth player the Broncos have placed on injured reserve in 2012, joining fellow defensive end Jason Hunter, running back Mario Fannin and wide receivers D’Andre Goodwin and Tyler Grisham.

The club’s roster now stands at 74 players, meaning there are still 21 transactions that must be completed by 7 p.m. MDT this evening to get to the NFL-mandated limit of 53 players.