Shane Ray to Have Surgery on Torn Thumb Ligament; Out 6-8 Weeks With Injury

Denver Broncos linebacker Shane Ray will miss six to eight weeks with a torn ligament in his wrist.

Broncos head coach Vance Joseph announced Friday that Ray tore a ligament in his left wrist and will require surgery. Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post added the surgery will take place on Saturday. 

On Saturday, Ray took to Twitter to comment on the injury: 

Ray tallied four sacks as a rookie, and he lived up to his first-round billing the following season when he doubled that total and finished the 2016 campaign with eight quarterback takedowns. 

In fact, Ray was so solid that Pro Football Focus named him as one of the NFL's 10 most-improved second-year players. According to their metrics, Ray's overall grade jumped from 45.8 to 77.1, and he finished the season ranked 10th in pass-rushing productivity among all 3-4 outside linebackers. 

Based on Ray's estimated recovery time, he could be back before the Broncos open the regular season on Sept. 11 against the San Diego Chargers. An eight-week recovery period would have him back around Week 3. 

Should Ray miss time, the Broncos will have to lean on Vontarrius Dora and Kasim Edebali to pick up the slack at outside linebacker.