CLEVELAND—The Denver Broncos are running out of running backs.
With starter Michael Pittman and backup Andre Hall already out for the season, Denver lost rookie Ryan Torain and third-year pro Selvin Young to injuries in the second quarter Thursday night against the Cleveland Browns.
The Broncos did not use a running back on their final possession of the first half and went to the locker room trailing 20-10.
Torain scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter of his first NFL start to put the Broncos ahead, then sustained a left knee injury midway through the second quarter when he got bent backward underneath a pile of players.
He was replaced by Young, who gained 2 yards on his first carry. A few plays later, he went to the sideline with a groin injury.
In the third quarter, the Broncos announced that Torain would not return. They used Peyton Hillis, a rookie from Arkansas, as the lone man in the backfield behind quarterback Jay Cutler.
On Sunday, Pittman (spinal cord) and Hall (hand) were lost for the year in a 26-17 loss to Miami. In that game, the Broncos gained only 14 yards on 12 carries—their lowest rushing output in 36 years.
