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According to NFL Network’s James Palmer, the Broncos officially placed linebacker/edge rusher Shane Ray on the season-ending IR list today.
Per source #Broncos officially placing pass rusher Shane Ray on IR. Friday he had wrist surgery to remove the screws that were inserted when the injury occurred in training camp. Played with a cast this season.
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) December 19, 2017
Ray entered in the 2017 season with much promise. He added weight/muscle, looked explosive and appeared on the verge of a breakout season. However, a wrist injury suffered in the early portions of Training Camp ruined that rather quickly.
Ray missed a good portion of the first-half of the regular season but did return for the Broncos first meeting with their division rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. His return was supposed to be a boost to the Broncos defense and pass rush, but it never happened.
Yesterday, we learned why Ray struggled once he returned to the Broncos. Per reports, he wasn’t able to lift weights since injuring his wrist. This obviously hurt his upper body strength and dropped his playing weight from his usual 240 range down to reportedly as low as 225lbs. This does explain a lot of things and why Ray really struggled this year.
The sooner Shane Ray starts his rehab, the sooner he can start upper-body weight work after he has recovered. Hasn't been able to lift weights since his wrist injury, which has prevented him from playing at his usual 240-pound size.
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 18, 2017
Ray met with Broncos Head Coach Vance Joseph on Monday to discuss his future. Would they put him out there with a cast on and playing well below his usual playing weight? The obvious answer there was of course not, and why we see Ray being placed on the IR today.
There have been no official reports as of yet as to who will be added to the roster to replace Ray’s roster spot.
Shane Ray finishes his 2017 season with just 16 tackles and only 1 sack. A disappointing season for Ray and the Broncos, but hopefully he will get healthy, add the weight back on, and return healthy once again in 2018.