The Broncos may be confronting a crossroads with the lone remaining player from their Super Bowl title years.
Tom Nalen, a five-time Pro Bowler and the Broncos’ starting center since Mike Shana- han’s first game as their head coach in 1995, will undergo arthroscopic surgery Friday on his troublesome left knee, his second such procedure in 2 1/2 months.
“I just want to feel better, that’s all,” Nalen said.
For now, Shanahan said there’s a chance Nalen could be ready by the season opener Sept. 8 at Oakland, but it would depend on what surgeons find inside the knee. In 1995, Nalen had surgery on the left knee to repair a meniscus tear and, although he was expected to be out three to four weeks, he returned to play two weeks later.
But Nalen was 24 then. He is 37 now and he’s had two other operations on his left knee, including reconstructive surgery in 2002 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Should Nalen not be ready by the season opener, the Broncos would have two options: Give him one of 53 spots on their active roster with the idea he will be ready to play within a few weeks or place the center on injured reserve, which would end his season.
It would be difficult for the Broncos to give Nalen a roster spot if he’s unable able to play for an extended period because the team is already trying to set aside a spot for rookie running back Ryan Torain, who will miss the first seven games with a dislocated elbow.
Nalen is not eligible for the physically unable to perform list, which would buy six weeks into the season without counting against the roster, because he passed his preseason physical.
The Nalen situation presents a problem for the Broncos, who earlier this year lost two other players from their Super Bowl title teams of 1997 and 1998 — kicker Jason Elam to free agency and receiver Rod Smith to retirement.
At least the Broncos have a quality center behind Nalen in Casey Wiegmann, a nine-year starter for Chicago (1998, 2000) and Kansas City (2001-07).
“Tommy’s a tough guy,” Wiegmann said. “He played a whole game last year (against San Diego) with torn biceps. Most guys can’t do that. He’s a football player — he wants to play, he’ll be there.”
