Normally, losing a fifth-round draft choice to an injury isn’t a major blow to a team.
Not so with the Broncos. Not when the fifth-rounder happens to be a tailback.
Terrell Davis was a sixth-rounder and landed in the Broncos’ Ring of Fame. Olandis Gary was a fourth-rounder and ran for 1,159 yards in a partial season. Mike Anderson was a sixth-rounder and racked up 1,487 yards and 15 touchdowns as a rookie.
Stuff happens when you’re a Broncos tailback. Now comes Ryan Torain. Or I should say, there goes Torain.
Torain suffered a dislocated left elbow and ligament damage in practice the other day, sending him to the sidelines for up to three months. Make no doubt, it’s a big loss.
Mike Shanahan said Torain was challenging Selvin Young for the starting job. That’s no lip service, given Shanahan’s track record in these matters. And at the very least, Torain was going to be the Broncos’ short-yardage back near the goal line.
That’s a key role on any team, particularly one that has struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone, as the Broncos have in recent seasons. Fact: The Broncos’ offense scored 43 touchdowns in 2005, when Denver advanced to the AFC championship game. Since then, the offense has accounted for 32 and 31 touchdowns in the next two seasons, respectively.
Torain was expected to make a difference near the goal line. Now he’s gone, probably until nearly the midway point of the season. That leaves Young, Andre Hall and rookie Anthony Alridge to pick up the slack as the designated short-yardage back, but none of the three is as big as Torain.
At 225 pounds, Torain was an ideal short-yardage back. Young is listed at 215, Hall 212 and Alridge 185.
“We couldn’t argue with him about that position,” Hall said. “He’s one of those guys that’s tougher and has a bigger body. He’s bigger than Selvin, Anthony and me. It kind of messes up the rotation a little bit, but we just have to step up and do it.”
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
