Former Denver Broncos first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Shane Ray, chose his words very careful during an interview on Monday when asked about being inactive for the teams game against the Cleveland Browns.
“Disrespectful.”
Woah!
— Michael Spencer (@MichaelCBS4) December 17, 2018
Here's what Shane Ray had to say when asked if this has been a frustrating year and whether or not it was disappointing to be inactive on Saturday. #Broncos #4Broncos @CBSDenver pic.twitter.com/aRq6KKucYT
He was told of the decision the day before the game and when asked about next week against the Oakland Raiders, he said he hoped to find out a lot sooner this time around. That would appear to add context to his ‘disrespectful’ comment. He didn’t appreciate how late in the week he was informed of the decision to deactivate him for the game.
Ray is playing under the final year of his rookie deal after the Broncos rejected his fifth year option back in May. Shane Ray hasn’t been lighting the world on fire with his play in 2018 either, so the Broncos decided they needed to see more of undrafted rookie Jeff Holland in the teams final three games.
During his four seasons in Denver, Ray compiles 14 career sacks and two forced fumbles. Most of those stats came during his second season in 2016. Since then, he has struggled to stay on the field and make an impact when on the field.
Pass rushers are hard to find, so one would expect Ray’s services to be in demand during free agency next year. The Broncos are stacked at the position with Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Shaquil Barrett, and now Jeff Holland.