Dan Koppen

Welcome back, Dan Koppen.

In the wake of the injury to Broncos starting center J.D. Walton in Sunday’s win over the Raiders, the former Patriots center — who was signed by Denver last month — is expected to get the start this Sunday when the Broncos visits Gillette Stadium.

The 6-foot-2, 300-pound Koppen, who was a fifth-round pick by New England in 2003 out of Boston College, started 120 games over eight season with the Patriots before suffering a fractured ankle midway through the 2011 opener against the Dolphins. The injury landed him on season-ending IR, and after an up-and-down camp, he was released by New England on Aug. 31.