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According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Denver Broncos edge rusher/outside linebacker Shane Ray will undergo yet another wrist surgery. This surgery is expected to sideline him for 3 months and will sideline him into the start of the 2018 regular season.
Ray is expected to miss three months with this surgery. It means he’ll miss the start of the 2018 season. https://t.co/pBwUzoxKBI
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 6, 2018
This injury is to the same wrist that hindered Ray last season and had him sit out the majority of the 2018 season. The wrist injury last season kept Ray from keeping his upper body strength and will likely result in the same sort of thing this time around. Ray was down reportedly 20lbs from his normal playing weight last season and it showed on the field.
Thankfully for the Broncos, they remain deep at the edge rushing position after adding Bradley Chubb to their rotation after selecting him with their 5th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Broncos also have Shaquil Barrett to lean on as well who has proven to be a capable starter for the Broncos. I would also keep an eye on the undrafted rookie edge rusher, Jeff Holland was considered a 3rd or 4th round pick by many but ended up going undrafted for some reason. I believe he will be a diamond in the rough for the Broncos and make the Broncos 53-man roster to start the season.
2nd opinion confirmed 1st opinion and 9News report from yesterday: Broncos OLB Shane Ray needs another wrist surgery. Start of season in jeopardy. Problem w/wrist injury is nearly impossible to keep upper body strong. BUT, Ray's next man up: Bradley Chubb. #9sports
— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) June 7, 2018
Ray has had a rough go of it after being selected by the Broncos in the first-round of the 2015 NFL draft. He struggled with injuries during his rookie season but did bounce back to have a solid 2016 campaign. As we know, the injury bug popped back up again last season and continued into the current season. This led to the Broncos to decline Ray’s fifth-year option which makes him an unrestricted free agent in 2019. They also selected his likely replacement, Bradley Chubb, in the first-round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Through three NFL seasons, Shane Ray has totaled just 58 tackles, 13 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. Eight of his 13 sacks came in 2016 while the other 5 were scattered through the other two years.
I was told yesterday that if the surgery happened he would miss a good amount of time. This will be procedure #4 on that wrist in less than a year. Didn’t really start bothering him until late last week. https://t.co/25yK2peLeX
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) June 6, 2018
This injury does hurt Ray’s potential trade value as well. With the Broncos unlikely to bring him back in 2019 I assumed he would be on the trade block this summer and could be dealt to add depth at another position. However, this injury kills that plan as he will be sidelined into the start of the 2018 season.
Ray has been a bit of a disappointment, but hopefully, he can finish strong for the Broncos and help them to have a successful 2018 season.