The Denver Broncos' offense needs to protect Peyton Manning and run the ball effectively, and both tasks got a lot tougher when left tackle Ryan Clady blew out his knee on Wednesday.
In an OTA practice Clady tore his ACL and will likely miss the 2015 season, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Thursday. The Broncos confirmed the news shortly after. Clady, who has been dominant at left tackle since his rookie year of 2008, has been to four Pro Bowls and has been selected first-team All-Pro twice. Now the Broncos have likely lost him for the 2015 season, months before the season starts.
The Broncos' replacements seem to be this year's second-round pick, Ty Sambrailo, or Michael Schofield, a second-year player who has yet to appear in an NFL game. The team also signed veteran Ryan Harris, ESPN said.
That's not to say the Broncos can't still be successful without Clady. In 2013 Clady played in just two games because of a foot injury. The Broncos went on to score the most points in NFL history and made it to the Super Bowl without him. However, this is a much different Broncos team. In 2013 the Broncos could survive without Clady because it was a pass-first offense, and quarterback Peyton Manning is masterful at getting rid of the ball before he gets hit. But Manning won't be able to throw that much again, not after he faltered late last season under a heavy workload. With a 39-year-old quarterback the Broncos will be forced to play the same style offense they played late last season, which is plenty of extra linemen or tight ends and a lot of handoffs to C.J. Anderson. Doing that effectively is more challenging without one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. So is making sure Manning doesn't take any hits, a year after he faded physically down the stretch. The Broncos also lost another top lineman, Orlando Franklin, in free agency to San Diego this offseason.
The Broncos aren't going to tumble down the AFC just because Clady is likely out for the season. But given how last year ended, it's a blow they didn't really need well before the season.
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