Broncos’ Shane Ray Out 6-8 Weeks
The Broncos have lost pass rusher Shane Ray for six to eight weeks on account of a torn ligament in his left wrist, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post was among those to report (on Twitter). Ray will undergo surgery Saturday.
The 24-year-old Ray is the second notable Broncos linebacker to land on the shelf, joining Shaquil Barrett, who has been dealing with a hip injury since the spring. Having to go without Ray will be a bigger blow to the Broncos’ defense than Barrett’s absence, though, as the former emerged as one of the team’s top rushing threats last season.
As a second-year pro, Ray broke out with 48 tackles and eight sacks across 16 games (eight starts) and 664 snaps. Only two Broncos linebackers – Von Miller and Todd Davis – saw more action than Ray, who ranked an above-average 45th in overall performance among Pro Football Focus’ 110 qualified edge defenders.
Now that they’re facing the prospect of going without both Ray and Barrett to begin the regular season, Broncos general manager John Elway and head coach Vance Joseph will consider adding outside help at linebacker, tweets Jhabvala. The best edge-rushing options remaining in free agency include Dwight Freeney, Mario Williams, Paul Kruger and Trent Cole, as PFR’s Dallas Robinson wrote last month. It’s possible the Broncos would have had interest in Erik Walden, who posted 11 sacks last year with the Colts, but they missed out on him when he signed with the Titans on Thursday.
Thanks to both the injuries to Ray and Barrett and the retirement of DeMarcus Ware, the Broncos are down to the untested Vontarrius Dora opposite Miller, as Roster Resource shows. Dora went undrafted out of Louisiana Tech last year and only played in one of Denver’s games.
Broncos Waive Chris Muller
- The Broncos have waived undrafted rookie O-lineman Chris Muller, tweets Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. Muller signed with the team last month.
Broncos To Sign Stevan Ridley
The Broncos have agreed to a deal with running back Stevan Ridley, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Ridley worked out for the club on Thursday and did enough to earn a one-year contract, tweets Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post.
The addition of Ridley comes in response to the wrist injury fellow running back Devontae Booker suffered. With Booker set to miss six to eight weeks, Denver wanted a replacement to slot in behind C.J. Anderson and Jamaal Charles in its backfield.
The 28-year-old Ridley joins Charles as the Broncos’ second back with at least one 1,000-yard season under his belt, though the former hasn’t been particularly effective overall. Since a strong 2011-13 showing in New England that included a 1,263-yard, 12-touchdown season, Ridley’s output has declined substantially. He wasn’t much of a factor in 2014, his final season with the Patriots, and combined for just 10 appearances, 39 carries and 97 yards with the Jets and Falcons over the previous two years.
Thanks to his recent downturn in production, Ridley didn’t generate much offseason interest prior to reaching an agreement with the Broncos. He worked out with one of his ex-teams, the Jets, back in May, but it was radio silence otherwise.
Broncos Work Out Stevan Ridley
Running back Stevan Ridley worked out for the Broncos on Thursday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post tweets. The audition comes in the wake of news that Devontae Booker will need minor surgery on his wrist.
Booker was unknowingly lifting weights with the injury for weeks and wound up aggravating it in training, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). . He is said to be facing a 6-8 week recovery after surgery and although the Broncos expect to have him in the lineup for Week 1, they may want to have their bases covered by adding someone like Ridley.
Ridley was hampered by injuries in 2016 and bounced around the league a bit, but it has been said that he’s now mostly healthy. His only other known audition of the offseason came when he worked out for the Jets in May.
We’re now years removed from Ridley’s 1,ooo+ yard campaign with the Patriots in 2012. It remains to be seen what he can offer in 2017.
Broncos Notes: Charles, Elway
- Even though he has been cleared for everything, Broncos coach Vance Joseph says that the team will be approaching things cautiously with Jamaal Charles in an effort to keep him fresh for the season. That makes James Palmer of NFL.com (on Twitter) wonder if that means Charles has already made the team. For all of his career accomplishments, it has been said that Charles may only have a 50/50 shot of making the final cut.
- The executive who signed Charles in free agency this year, John Elway, received a promotion when the Broncos awarded him a contract extension Monday, reports Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. The Hall of Fame quarterback is now Denver’s president of football operations/general manager. He had been their executive VP of football operations/GM since 2011.
Eagles Trade G Allen Barbre To Broncos
The Eagles aren’t cutting Allen Barbre after all. Upon learning that the Eagles were planning to release the veteran guard, the Broncos reached out to the Eagles to work out a trade. A deal has been agreed upon, with Philly sending Barbre to Denver in exchange for a 2019 conditional draft pick (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). It’s a conditional seventh-rounder, tweets Mike Klis of 9News.
The Broncos already made one major upgrade on the interior line this offseason by signing former Cowboy Ronald Leary. Barbre could now compete with Max Garcia for the other starting guard spot or potentially push Menelik Watson at right tackle. Alternatively, he could be the Broncos’ super sub, filling in where needed at four different positions.
In Barbre, Denver gets a player with 76 appearances and 36 starts on his resume. The 33-year-old has started all 28 of his appearances dating back to 2015, including 12 last season, when he ranked an excellent 16th among Pro Football Focus’ 73 qualified guards. Barbre will earn $2.05MM this year and will have a chance at another $300K in playing time incentives, according to Klis (Twitter link).
The cap implications did not change for the Eagles when they flipped from releasing Barbre outright to trading him. After the deal, the Eagles will still save $2.1MM in cap space while leaving $500K on the books in dead money.
Broncos Bring Gary Kubiak Back
The Broncos are bringing back Gary Kubiak. The former head coach will join the organization as a senior personnel executive where he will essentially fill a scouting role, a source tells Mike Klis of 9News. 
[RELATED: Broncos, John Elway Agree To Record-Breaking Extension]
Kubiak stepped down as Broncos coach in January due to health concerns. His new role with the team should allow him to work a much leaner schedule while staying close to his family. He’ll be based near his home in Houston, Texas with only occasional visits to Broncos headquarters. He’ll be tasked with scouting college players for the draft and also pitch in for free agent evaluations.
Kubiak took over as Broncos coach in 2015 and guided the team to victory in Super Bowl 50. In his two years in charge, Kubiak’s Broncos posted a combined 21-11 record in the regular season. As an NFL head coach, Kubiak left the sidelines with an 82-75 regular season record and a 5-2 postseason mark, including his one Super Bowl win.
Broncos Waive LB Josh Banderas
- The Broncos have waived linebacker Josh Banderas with a non-football injury designation, reports Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post (via Twitter). The former Nebraska standout joined the organization as an undrafted free agent earlier this offseason. The defender earned All-Big Ten Coaches and Media honors in 2016 after compiling 93 tackles.
[SOURCE LINK]
Broncos, John Elway Agree To Extension
The Broncos and John Elway have agreed to a new five-year contract, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. The new deal ties him to Denver through the 2021 season. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it is expected to make him the NFL’s highest paid GM (Twitter link).
Elway, one of the franchise’s all-time great players, has furthered his legacy as Denver’s GM. Since taking over as executive vice president of football operations of the Broncos in 2011, the team has gone 67-29 in the regular season with five playoff appearances, two Super Bowl appearances, and a championship following the 2015 season.
“During these last six seasons, John’s clearly established himself as one of the best general managers in all of sports,” President and CEO Joe Ellis said in a statement. “He’s demonstrated impressive football instincts, a strong business acumen and a consistent ability to build competitive teams…There’s no doubt John means a great deal to the Broncos, our fans and the entire community. It was important for us to reach this long-term agreement, and we’re all excited to now turn our full attention toward the 2017 season.”
In total, Elway has won three titles for the Broncos – two as a player and one as an executive. The 1983 first-overall pick spent his entire 16-year career in Denver, and the Hall of Famer holds at least 30 franchise records. He finished his career with 51,475 passing yards (sixth all-time), 300 touchdowns (10th all-time), and 226 interceptions. Following the Broncos’ 2016 Super Bowl victory, Elway became the first person to win a ring as a player and as a general manager.
Since Elway joined the Broncos’ front office in 2011, the team has selected only three Pro Bowlers in linebacker Von Miller, tight end Julius Thomas, and cornerback Chris Harris (undrafted), although he did draft a number of capable NFL starters. Elway has seen the majority of his success in free agency, where he’s brought in a number of Pro Bowl veterans, including Peyton Manning, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and Emmanuel Sanders. This past offseason was highlighted by the hiring of Vance Joseph, who becomes the third head coach during Elway’s tenure (following John Fox and Gary Kubiak). The organization also signed running back Jamaal Charles and offensive linemen Ronald Leary and Menelik Watson.
Safety David Bruton Retires
David Bruton is done with football. The former Broncos and Redskins safety confirmed that he is not seeking work for the 2017 season. 
“I’m burnt-out, definitely worry about my health,” Bruton said (via ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold). “Another season was cut short by a concussion [in 2016] — that’s six. I’m a guy who likes to use his brain. Especially back in school, I need as many brain cells as possible with all these science classes. It came down to health, and I’ve definitely had my time in the league. I’m ready to move on.”
The longtime special-teams captain of the Broncos also acknowledged that he had less passion for the game than when he started out. After playing 108 career games – 104 with the Broncos, four with the Redskins – Bruton is appreciative of his time in the NFL, but he’s also had enough.
In 2015, Bruton set career highs in several categories, including tackles (43), interceptions (two), and passes defended (seven). He left Denver the next year, joining the Redskins on a three-year, $9MM deal prior to the 2016 season. Unfortunately, a concussion put him out of commission in October, leading the Redskins to release him in December. Bruton auditioned for the Ravens after getting cut, but he tells Legwold that the audition “did not go well at all, because I just didn’t have it in me anymore to do it.”
We here at PFR wish Bruton the best in retirement.