Jonathon Cooper Is Off the Exempt List. Now Comes the Hard Part.

Broncos Country, the edge room just got a familiar name back.

Our Take: Getting Jonathon Cooper back for the stretch run matters on the field, but nobody should pretend this is a clean ending. The league's review isn't finished, and that hangs over everything.

The NFL removed Cooper from the Commissioner Exempt List on Friday. In its statement, the league said he "will be eligible to play in the Broncos' Week 7 game on Oct. 25 after missing six games." That game is at Arizona. Per AP, Cooper was placed on the list Aug. 30 following two arrests in June, and he faces felony assault charges. Mile High Report, citing 9NEWS' Mike Klis, notes his trial date was recently pushed back to March.

The league was explicit that its investigation under the Personal Conduct Policy "remains ongoing and is not affected by this change to Cooper's roster status." In other words, a future suspension is still possible; it's not clear whether the six games missed will count toward any discipline.

Denver's defense has been rolling without him, coming off a Thursday night win. Adding a veteran starting edge rusher to that rotation gives Denver another way to keep pass rushers fresh late in games.

What to watch: whether Cooper is a full participant in practice next week, how the snaps get split on the edge in Arizona, and any word from the league on the conduct review.

Sources: AP News, Mile High Report, ESPN