Shane Ray spent almost five years away from his dream NFL life. None of his attempts to make a noteworthy comeback throughout these years were successful. Nonetheless, Ray remained hopeful to see a ray of light.
The players’ long-awaited desire to make a return with the Buffalo Bills was finally realized this season. Unfortunately, the newly acquired player for the Bills has encountered yet another obstacle after suffering an injury, something that could potentially rule him out for the whole season.
The bills placed ex-Broncos DL Shane Ray on IR months after signing him
Ray incurred an injury during Saturday’s preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, so the Bills had to make a choice regarding him. The Bills put Ray on injury reserve later on Monday, which may ruin his season if no injury settlement is reached.
Tough break for the comeback attempt by former #Broncos 1st round pick Shane Ray.
Ray come back to sign with the #Bills this offseason but was just placed on injured reserve, ending his season. https://t.co/ZIqHztw4Ll pic.twitter.com/ns0yqnDwor
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 21, 2023
The Buffalo team hired the linebacker this off-season after he successfully completed a tryout in May, awarding him a 1-year deal worth $1,080,000.
The 30-year-old claimed in May that he still had a lot to give the NFL. Although he was trying to make a comeback, his bad luck prevented him from experiencing a fruitful season.
“I know I still have a lot of good football left in me, and I just want to maximize that so that I can, no matter how this ends, I can go back and be like, ‘I gave it everything that I had under the circumstances, under the situation, I gave it everything I got and I can live with that,” he said back in May.
Shane Ray returns to gridiron after nearly five years away from the NFL
The Denver Broncos selected Shane with the 23rd overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, and he stayed four seasons with them, winning one Super Bowl. The Broncos team did not approve of him for a new contract following his rookie agreement in 2018, which curtailed his time with the Denver franchise after he had played 49 games.
Ray played for Broncos for four seasons and started 15 games. His career stats include 14 sacks, 94 tackles, and 33 quarterback hits. In the 2019 season, he subsequently signed with the Baltimore Ravens, although he was unable to make the team’s final roster. The former Broncos player spent two seasons with the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL.
It will be interesting to see if his luck changes, and whether he is able to return fast. We wish him a speedy recovery.
