David Bruton Injury: Updates on Broncos Safety's Leg and Return

Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak announced on Monday that safety David Bruton will miss the remainder of the regular season with a fractured fibula.

Continue for updates.

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Bruton Placed on IR

Tuesday, Dec. 22

Andrew Mason of DenverBroncos.com announced that the Broncos placed Bruton on season-ending injured reserve and signed safety Shaun Prater to replace him on the roster.

On Monday, Bruton posted on his Instagram account regarding his recovery:

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Bruton Played Majority of Game on Injured Fibula

Monday, Dec. 21

Kubiak also told reporters he believes Bruton suffered the injury on the 15th or 16th play of Sunday's game. The Denver Post's Nicki Jhabvala highlighted the likely cause of the fracture:

Shortly after that play, Bruton was on the receiving end of a late hit by Pittsburgh Steelers center Cody Wallace. You can view the hit at the 35-second mark of the video below:

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Bruton's Injury Is Another Blow to Broncos' Safety Depth

Bruton appeared in 13 of the team's 14 games in 2015, recording 42 combined tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Although he has started just three games for Denver this year, the seventh-year veteran has been a valuable member of the Broncos secondary. Pro Football Focus grades him as the 33rd-best safety in the league, only nine spots behind T.J. Ward, who is ahead of Bruton on the team's depth chart.

This injury is particularly important for Denver considering Ward missed Sunday's game with an ankle injury.

If Ward is unable to play against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16, the Broncos would be forced to start Josh Bush or Shiloh Keo at strong safety.