Dumervil Likely Done for the Season

The one thing that any fan looks for in the recap of training camp practices is the injury news. No one wants to hear anything about a player going down. So far this training camp hasn't been too kind to the Broncos. On the first day of camp, both RBs Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter went down with injuries. Luckily, Denver dodged a bullet because both should be back in a few weeks. On Thursday, the Broncos received the worst kind of news that comes out of training camp: Elvis Dumervil tore his pectoral muscle and would be out at least 4 months. It looks like Denver will probably have to put him on Injured Reserve at some point, and his 2010 season would be done before it even really started. This news comes on the heals of Dumervil signing an extension with the Broncos right before training camp started. This is such a devastating blow to Denver. Dumervil is the Broncos best defensive player, and a true pass rush star. He led the league in 2009 with 17 sacks, and he is one of the cornerstones of this franchise. You need a pass rush in today's NFL, and without Dumervil I don't know where the Broncos are going to get that consistent pass rush. It is going to be impossible to replace his contributions, and it looks like Denver is going to try to replace him with 2007 1st round pick, Jarvis Moss, and 2009 1st round pick Robert Ayers. Also, the Broncos are going to have to get even more creative on 3rd down and passing situations. They are going to have to bring more safeties and corners if they are going to generate any type of pressure on the QB. Another option is to move ILB Mario Haggan back to the OLB spot he played in 2009. Perhaps someone can step up and take his spot at ILB to allow this to happen. Also, there is the possibility that another veteran LB (Inside or Outside) might become available when training camp concludes and roster cuts are made. I'm not ready to pour the dirt on the Broncos chances in 2010, but this move will certainly affect team, and it is obviously not the way you want to head into the upcoming campaign.