Bad Night for Broncos: Ebenezer Ekuban Hurt

Filed under: Broncos, NFL Injuries, Denver

The Broncos lost their preseason game to the Cowboys 31-20 last night, but the score isn’t important. What is important is that a key player, defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban, is out for the season.

Ekuban tore his right Achilles tendon and will be placed on injured reserve. It may seem premature to speculate about such things, but Ekuban is 31 years old, and his greatest strength as a defensive end is his explosive first step. There’s a chance that he played the last football game of his life last night.

“It’s really a shame to lose Ebenezer for the year,” coach Mike Shanahan said. “A great leader in our defensive line — it’s really shame he had to go down in a preseason game.”

The loss of Ekuban means the Broncos will rely even more heavily on first-round draft pick Jarvis Moss. They need him to be able to start 16 games as a rookie. It also means the Broncos might be in the market for a veteran defensive end. Perhaps they’ll give Simeon Rice a call? Or, per Pro Football Talk, perhaps Michael Strahan?

Running back Travis Henry suffered what the team believes is a sprained MCL, which is not a particularly serious injury. Shanahan even left room for the possibility that Henry could play on Saturday in the third preseason game against the Browns, but it seems more likely that they’ll hold him out for at least a week to rest him.

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