This wasn’t how Shane Ray had hoped to spend his first day in an NFL uniform.
Ray, the Broncos’ first-round draft pick, attended the first day of rookie minicamp but only observed as he rehabilitates a toe that he injured early in Missouri’s Citrus Bowl victory over Minnesota on Jan. 1.
“I understand it’s part of the process for me to be 100 percent, because that’s the goal,” Ray said Friday. “Me as a competitor, of course, I would like to be out there and compete and do what I can. But this is something I have to be smart with.”
Broncos trainer Steve Antonopulos evaluated Ray before the team traded up to select him No. 23 in the draft, and reassured general manager John Elway and coach Gary Kubiak that the defensive end wouldn’t need surgery.
Kubiak said Ray could have worked out Friday, but is in “an evaluation period” and will sit out the team’s two-day rookie minicamp at Dove Valley.
“He’s been working and wants to work, but we wanted to take this weekend and kind of put our plan together on exactly how we want to proceed forward,” Kubiak said. “He could, but he will not work.”
Ray is expected to return to Missouri on Sunday for his final exams and graduation. When Ray returns to Denver on May 18, Kubiak expects “to put him to work right away” during Phase 2 of the Broncos’ offseason program.
After Ray’s injury, Missouri defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski suggested he sit out the remainder of the Citrus Bowl, but Ray played on in his last college game. There were early reports Ray might need surgery, but he played on the toe at his pro-day workout and during individual team workouts ahead of the draft.
That he could play on it the past three months was a good sign to the Broncos, but it also meant rehab was put on hold. That changed when Ray arrived at Broncos headquarters Thursday.
“I feel like I’m getting better every week,” said Ray, who has been prescribed a mix of rest, orthotics and hot- and cold-tub treatments. “But it’s not my decision if I can come out. It’s up to the medical staff.”
Despite not being able to don a helmet or cleats Friday, Ray got to wear jersey No. 56, which he wore at Missouri. He initially received No. 48 from the Broncos but negotiated with linebacker Shaquil Barrett to retain his preferred number.
After redshirting his freshman year in 2011, Ray made 120 tackles (82 solo) and 19 sacks in three seasons at Missouri. In 2014, he made 65 tackles, including 22½ for a loss, with 14½ sacks, a school record that ranked third nationally. Ray, 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, was named the 2014 Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year, and received the third-highest grade among edge pass rushers in the draft, according to Pro Football Focus.
Ray was projected by many analysts to go in the top 10 of the draft, but a citation for marijuana possession in Missouri three days before the draft caused him to slip on many teams’ boards.
Elway and the Broncos, however, were convinced the incident was a one-time deal with Ray, and they traded offensive lineman Manny Ramirez, the No. 28 pick and 2015 and 2016 fifth-round picks to Detroit to acquire Ray at No. 23.
The citation and his selection by Denver, where marijuana is legal, inevitably led to days of jokes by fans and media online.
“I’ve seen all the memes and all the jokes and stuff, but it really doesn’t faze me,” Ray said. “It’d be different if I had a serious history of issues with marijuana, but I don’t.
“It’s really not hard for me to stay out of trouble. The incident that I had, I’ve moved past that. It’s something that happened, and it’s not something that’s going to resurface for me at all.”
Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or
Ray’s Rehab
Broncos first-round draft pick Shane Ray injured his toe in a Jan. 1 bowl game, but because of predraft workouts, he hasn’t fully rehabbed. A timeline of his injury and projected return:
Jan. 1: Ray injures toe early in Missouri’s Citrus Bowl victory over Minnesota
February-April: Ray plays on injured toe during pro-day workout; visits with prospective teams ahead of draft
April 30: Broncos trade up to draft Ray at No. 23
May 8-9: Ray observes Broncos’ rookie minicamp while rehabbing — a mix of rest, orthotics and hot- and cold-tub treatments
May 10: Ray expected to return to Missouri for final exams
May 18: Ray will return to Broncos with expectation that he returns to field, in Phase 2 of offseason program
