Injury History Doomed Quinton Carter’s Roster Spot
By Tylor Walden
June 11, 2013; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos defensive back Quinton Carter (28) leaves the field during mini camp drills at the Broncos training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Quinton Carter was one of the most promising rookies to arrive in Denver when he was drafted in the fourth round in the 2011. However, his rookie year might be all that we will get to see from him.
One of the Broncos unrestricted free agents that no one talked about, Quinton Carter went from a solid player who had a lot of promise to an injury-riddled player who just could not do what it took to stay healthy. During the 2011 campaign, he was a ball hawk as a safety as he looked around and tackled whomever had the football at the time. He also had the ability to go after the ball and make the interception. Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady would get to know him for that as Quinton Carter intercepted them both in the 2012 AFC Playoffs. The rookie from Oklahoma University appeared to be on his way to becoming a force and live to his nickname “The Predator.”
After that postseason, Quinton Carter would not be the same. He went on the season ending injured reserve list two years in a row from 2012-2014. His knees were what landed him on that list as he was recovering from microfracture surgery on his knees and no matter how much he tried to come back, he would continue suffering setback after setback. He finally got onto the field for the 2014 season as a backup to Rahim Moore.
He would play in eleven games during the 2014 season and it appeared as if he was on his way to becoming a solid player again. However, he suffered yet another setback towards the end of the season and was once again forced to be shut down for the year.
Quinton Carter had so much promise for the Denver Broncos, but his lingering knee issues kept him from reaching his full potential. With the injury-riddled history and the Broncos looking to move forward, they simply could not wait on Quinton Carter to get healthy. So it is understandable as to why the team let him walk in free agency, but it is also a shame that we never really got to see what he was capable of. He had so much promise as a safety and a special teams player.
Hopefully Quinton Carter finds a team once the knee is healed up. Hopefully a team will take their chances on him.