Denver Broncos Place Willis McGahee on IR with Knee Injury

The Denver Broncos have reportedly placed top running back Willis McGahee on injured reserve, which marks a disappointing end to his 2012 campaign.

Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer was the first to break the news on Wednesday afternoon.

"

Broncos are putting Willis McGahee on IR, ending his season. Tough, tough blow

— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) November 21, 2012"

The running back apparently tore the MCL in his right knee and suffered a compression fracture in a Week 11 contest against the San Diego Chargers.

McGahee finishes the season with 167 carries for 731 yards and four touchdowns. He also garnered 26 receptions for 221 yards, helping out QB Peyton Manning in the passing game.

One of the biggest knocks on McGahee was his ball security, or lack thereof. The 31-year-old back fumbled five times and lost four of them in 10 games. That simply isn’t acceptable for an NFL running back, especially one with 10 years of NFL experience.

Denver head coach John Fox will now turn to Ronnie Hillman, Lance Ball and former first-round pick Knowshon Moreno to shoulder the load out of the backfield. Moreno seems excited to finally have an opportunity after being inactive (and healthy) for the past eight contests.

He spoke with Mike Klis of The Denver Post, saying:

"

It feels good to be back, but you hate to see a teammate go down with an injury. That really hurts. But at the same time, we have a lot of capable guys in the backfield that can get the job done for this team also.

"

Klis also noted that the Denver organization is considering calling up Jeremiah Johnson from the practice squad and plans to evaluate free-agent tailback Steve Slaton.

We’ll keep you updated right here with the latest breaking news, information, updates, opinions and fantasy analysis on McGahee being placed on injured reserve and how the Broncos plan to replace his production.