ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Denver Broncos have had two full team practices and two walk-throughs thus far in training camp, and they have already been forced to wrestle with one of the most dreaded parts of the summer schedule.
The Broncos have lost two players to injury in two days, as running back Devontae Booker had wrist surgery Friday and linebacker Shane Ray was set for wrist surgery Saturday morning. If you’re scoring anywhere, that’s a running back the Broncos were set to use with the first-team offense and the pass-rusher Denver saw filling DeMarcus Ware's spot.
Welcome to your first season as a head coach, Vance Joseph.
“It happens, injuries happen," Joseph said after Friday evening’s walk-through. “... Injuries happen, and in my opinion when they happen, that’s what’s important.’’
That’s the sliver of good news the Broncos will cling to as they work through the preseason: that the calendar is still in their favor if they can have a little good fortune in August. Booker is expected to miss six weeks after having two screws placed in his left wrist to help heal a fracture, while Ray is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a torn ligament in his left wrist.
The Broncos are hopeful to have Booker back by the regular-season opener Sept. 11. Ray is expected to return for either Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys or Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills. But before that, the Broncos still have to navigate through almost a full slate of camp practices to go with four preseason games.
Booker and defensive end Kyle Peko are also already designated as physically unable to perform, which means they cannot participate in practice until they are medically cleared, but they also count against the Broncos’ 90-player roster limit.
The Broncos signed running back Stevan Ridley on Thursday to help with the practice workload, where Denver is taking a patient approach with Jamaal Charles’ repetitions. But Broncos decision-makers met Friday night to try to determine if they have the room to add another pass-rusher in Ray’s absence.
Linebacker Shaquil Barrett (hip), who played in all 16 games last season -- 418 plays on defense overall -- is on the team’s non-football injury list, meaning he cannot participate in practice and is not expected to be fully cleared until after the start of the regular season.
“We’re getting tight on numbers now,’’ Joseph said. “... Shaq’s timetable has not changed. We’re hoping to get Shaq back ... hopefully Week 2 or 3.’’
In the near term, the Broncos will now be able to give Kasim Edebali a long look. The Broncos signed Edebali -- who had been a spot player for three seasons with the New Orleans Saints -- with the idea the 27-year-old would be a special-teams mainstay but could produce in pass-rush situations in Denver's 3-4 defense.
Earlier this offseason, Joseph called Edebali “a relentless rusher,’’ and Friday said, “he’s capable, we’re excited about him.’’ Vontarrius Dora, who spent most of the 2016 season on the Broncos’ practice squad, is another player who moves up the depth chart a bit in the wake of Ray’s injury. With Von Miller not expected to get that much work in presesason games, Edebali and Dora will often be front and center in the defense.
The issues the Broncos face at the moment are the same as every other team. With 32 teams in training camp with rosters at 90 players, that doesn’t leave a wide variety of healthy players available.
“We’ve got time to figure it out,’’ Joseph said.