Koppen Tears ACL; Should Broncos Lure Jeff Saturday Out of Retirement?

Jeff Saturday (63) points to the defense during the game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium.Indianapolis defeated Houston 19-16. (Michael Hickey-USA TODAY Sports)

That whole “Hello pension, goodbye tension” stuff is overrated.

I’m sure that’s the message Peyton Manning will try to get across to his former Colts center, Jeff Saturday.

The team expected center J.D. Walton to be the man this year. However, an infection in his surgically repaired ankle has kept him on the sidelines. That’s why the team signed last year’s starter Dan Koppen again. On Sunday, a crushing blow came when Koppen tore his ACL.

At this point, it’s next man up until it’s last man up. That’s kind of where the Broncos are right now. With C.J. Davis being carted off the practice field on Saturday, the last man up is Manny Ramirez. Oh, and he’s a guard with minimal experience at center.

“When you pick your offensive line, not just for the season, but for gameday, you have to pick them from the standpoint of having some flexibility,” head coach John Fox said after Sunday’s practice. “You’ve got to have a swing guard/center, you’ve got to have a swing tackle/guard, for the games.”

Sure, it’s nice having a set of spare keys to get the offensive engine going, but you always like having that main set because it’s what you’re used to. The main set probably has your house keys on them, too. On that note, bring in Saturday.

Jeff Saturday may have been benched inGreen Bay last season for performance issues, but was it just one bad season? Could he resurrect his career under the guy that helped make him a household name?

At 38-years-old, Saturday’s seat at ESPN could surely wait another year, right?

Saturday retired in March after playing in 211 career NFL games (209 starts). He was a Pro Bowler six times in his career and played with Manning for 13 years.

Why does that relatively meaningless Pro Bowl snap to Manning have to be the last one of his career? What if it happened in February 2014 instead?

Options, options. The Broncos need options at this point.

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