ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Denver Broncos linebacker Shane Ray called it a "little disrespectful'' that he was a game-day inactive for Saturday night's loss to the Cleveland Browns, and the former first-round draft pick said he doesn't know whether he will play in either of the Broncos' last two games of the season.
Ray, whom the Broncos traded up in the first round to select 23rd in the 2015 draft, and veteran safety Su'a Cravens were both game-day inactives against the Browns and each was healthy enough to play in the game.
Ray said he was told on Friday that he would not be in uniform for the game, which the Browns won, 17-16. It was the first time in Ray's four seasons with the team that he was a healthy inactive.
"Little disrespectful, but that's all good, I don't think I've been (a healthy) inactive in my whole career," Ray said Monday. "Whatever reason they felt I need to be inactive, that's on them.''
Following the game, Broncos coach Vance Joseph was asked about Ray and Cravens being inactive and he said: "We're playing the best players, trying to win a game. Simple as that.''
On Monday, when asked if either Ray or Cravens would play in the Broncos' final two games -- Monday night in Oakland and Dec. 30 against the Los Angeles Chargers -- Joseph said, "I'm not sure, we'll see how the week goes."
"(It's) been a frustrating two years ... I come in, I go to work, I don't control what they do,'' Ray said. "That's all up on them. I just do what I do.''
When asked if he expects to play in the Broncos' final two games of the season, Ray said, "Y'all got to ask Vance Joseph that.''
Cravens, whom the Broncos acquired in a trade with the Redskins during the offseason, said, "I disagree'' when asked about Joseph saying the team was playing the best players. "I don't ask questions, I just go to work,'' Cravens added.
The Broncos did not pick up Ray's fifth-year option this past offseason and then used the No. 5 pick in the draft to select Bradley Chubb, who has started every game this season at outside linebacker opposite Von Miller and is second on the team with 12 sacks.
Ray, who missed eight games last season with multiple wrist surgeries, has one sack this season and has played 254 snaps (23.1 percent) in the defense. Cravens has played in five games and been used in some of the Broncos' specialty packages on defense.
Ray will be an unrestricted free agent in March.
Cravens, who was penalized twice in the loss to the San Francisco 49ers two weeks ago, has 16 tackles on the season.