The Denver Broncos don’t appear to be too keen on keeping pass rusher Shane Ray past the upcoming season. According to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, the Broncos aren’t going to exercise their 2019 option worth $9.2 million for the former first-rounder.
Ray is scheduled to make $1.68 million this 2018 season and will now be an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
Ray was the Broncos’ 23rd overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He showed some promise in his first couple of years playing behind DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller, racking up 12.0 sacks in his first two seasons.
Big things were expected of him in 2017 following an eight-sack 2016 season as he was set to take the place of Ware, who had finally retired. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn left wrist ligament in the offseason and ended up having a disastrous campaign, racking up a single sack in eight games.
The Broncos just drafted defensive end Bradley Chubb with their fifth overall pick in last week’s draft and would be a ready-made replacement for Ray. However, Ray’s disappointing lack of production in his first three years may be a bigger factor in the Broncos’ reluctance to pick up his option than Chubb’s presence on the team.
Ray will now have to battle both Chubb and Shaquil Barrett for snaps opposite Miller in the Broncos’ pass rush rotation for the upcoming season. He’ll need a strong bounce-back year to raise his stock heading into free agency. But if he can come close to the form he showed in 2016, he could be set for a significant payday on the open market.
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