The Sports Xchange

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos brought Ty Sambrailo back to the practice field beginning Oct. 14, hopeful that he could heal and recover enough from day to day to return to the lineup. But the torn labrum that Sambrailo suffered Sept. 27 wouldn’t allow it, and after testing Sambrailo in a padded practice last week, the Broncos opted to place their second-round pick and starting left tackle on injured reserve.

Sambrailo will undergo surgery in the coming days and miss the next four to six months.

“It’s something that needs to be repaired,” Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak said. “We gave him the chance to play through it. He wanted to try to play through it. We made it through a month and worked his tail off last week, but was just unable to do it.”

His absence leaves the Broncos with veterans Ryan Harris and Tyler Polumbus sharing the work at left tackle. Harris is the starter, but Polumbus played 40 percent of the snaps (27) during Sunday night’s win over the Packers.

The Broncos’ long-term plans at left tackle are not yet clear. They would like to bring Sambrailo back, but Ryan Clady remains under contract. Clady’s torn ACL forced Sambrailo into the lineup this summer. However, Clady’s massive cap figure and injury history could give Sambrailo the first shot next year.

“We have to move forward, get him well and keep him a part of us,” Kubiak said of Sambrailo. “He has a very bright future.”

–John Elway would not close the door on the possibility of further trades before the 2 p.m. MST deadline on Tuesday.

“There are still other things going on, so who knows what’s going to happen?” Elway said after announcing the trade for Vernon Davis. “We’re glad that we were able to get the deal done.”

That being said, another deal isn’t realistic, unless it’s for a player with a low salary-cap figure. Even with Sambrailo on injured reserve, the Broncos do not appear to be in the mix for Cleveland’s Joe Thomas, and look willing to ride it out with Ryan Harris and Tyler Polumbus for the rest of the season.

“We’ll have to see,” Elway said when he elaborated on the notion of more trades. “I’m always open. We’re always listening.”