Shane Ray has fourth wrist surgery recommended

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 10: Outside linebacker Shane Ray #56 of the Denver Broncos celebrates after a defensive play against the New York Jets at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on December 10, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 10: Outside linebacker Shane Ray #56 of the Denver Broncos celebrates after a defensive play against the New York Jets at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on December 10, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

According to a report from Mike Klis, Denver Broncos linebacker Shane Ray had a fourth wrist procedure recommended and is seeking a second opinion…

According to a report from Denver Broncos insider Mike Klis, a fourth wrist procedure has been recommended for outside linebacker Shane Ray.

Ray had three procedures to repair his injured wrist in 2017 and was forced to miss half the season as a result.

If he has a fourth procedure, it’s not expected to keep him out the entire season. Here’s Klis’ report:

Understandably, Ray is seeking a second opinion.

Earlier this offseason, I wrote about how stupid of a decision it was for the Broncos to even consider not picking up Ray’s fifth-year option, but obviously, I’m not privy to his medical records nor am I monitoring his daily, weekly, or monthly progress as it relates to recovery.

The Broncos in this situation were right, and I was wrong. Not picking up Ray’s option is looking like a wiser decision by the day.

More from Predominantly Orange

Of course, nobody wants Ray to miss any time this season. He showed a ton of promise in his first two years in the NFL and his third season was derailed by this significant wrist injury.

If Ray is at full strength, the Broncos will be better for it.

With that said, if he needs another procedure on his wrist, it will significantly affect his ability to earn snaps over players like Shaquil Barrett and Bradley Chubb, and could directly affect his value on the open market in 2019.

The Broncos appear to be heading for an eventual split with Ray, but everyone involved in this situation wants to see him get right physically.

Ray lost a lot of weight in 2017 and upper body strength as he recovered from his injury, and has worked his way back to a reasonable playing weight.

If Ray is seeking a second opinion on the need for surgery, it likely means he will miss significant time, even if it’s not ‘season-ending’.

Along with a wrist procedure would come recovery time, and along with recovery time would come a loss of upper-body strength. In addition to getting healthy again, Ray would have to regain the weight he needs to be an effective edge player in the NFL.

Hopefully, he’s able to get fully healthy as quickly as possible.