All of a sudden, the Denver Broncos are staring at a much thinner depth chart at the running back position.
Devontae Booker will begin camp on the physically unable to perform list with a wrist injury he suffered back in minicamp, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, citing a source informed of the situation. Booker had been lifting with a fractured wrist for weeks, but aggravated the injury in training, Rapoport added.
Broncos coach Vance Joseph told the team's official website that Booker should be ready to go by the start of the regular season.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk first reported Booker's trip to PUP.
Rapoport added that Booker has a six-week recovery timetable and the Broncos will revisit his roster status around Week 1 of the regular season.
While C.J. Anderson was expected to take the lead, Booker was a nice buffer between the presumptive starter and the 30-year-old Jamaal Charles, who the Broncos signed on a flier this offseason. Now Charles, who was recently cleared for on-field activities himself, could find himself thrust into a larger role.
The Broncos signed former Patriots and Jets running back Stevan Ridley to help with depth, Rapoport reported. The team later made the announcement official.
The addition of guard Ronald Leary and the return of center Matt Paradis could give Denver a sneakily good offensive line this year despite its recent troubles. Booker was supposed to be a large part of the team's ground game renaissance after a ho-hum rookie campaign. Now, he'll have to focus on recovery and rehab first.
