Titans sign former Broncos first-round pick Shane Ray
Shane Ray, an outside linebacker who was selected by the Broncos in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft but hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2018, is getting another chance with the Titans.
The Titans signed Ray and he is on the practice field in training camp today.
Ray’s career has been a long, strange trip: As a first-round rookie, he was a solid if unspectacular contributor who helped the Broncos win Super Bowl 50. In his second season he had eight sacks and looked like he was emerging as the kind of player the Broncos thought he would be when they traded up to draft him.
But after that Ray’s career collapsed, he managed just two more sacks in his final two seasons with the Broncos, and his last NFL game was almost six years ago.
Ray also spent some time in the training camps in Baltimore and Buffalo but didn’t make it on either team’s regular-season roster. He played two years with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
Ray faces an uphill battle to make the Titans’ roster, but at the age of 31 he’s not giving up on his NFL career yet.
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Former Broncos first-round pick shockingly gets another shot with Titans
The Denver Broncos haven’t had the greatest success in the first round of the NFL Draft over the last decade. Unfortunately, it’s a big reason why the franchise finds itself in the unfortunate hole it’s currently in.
Since 2015, the Denver Broncos first-round picks have been Shane Ray, Paxton Lynch, Garett Bolles, Bradley Chubb, Noah Fant, Jerry Jeudy, Pat Surtain II, and Bo Nix. They also spent a total of three first-round picks on Russell Wilson and Sean Payton. As you can see, it’s not the most illustrious list and if we’re talking in baseball terms, the batting average is a little low.
Shockingly, one of the players on that list who hasn’t played in any NFL game since 2018, is getting another shot to make an NFL team in 2024. That player is 2015 first-round pick Shane Ray, a pass rusher who looked like he was well on his way to being part of a dynamic duo with Von Miller at one point in time before injuries derailed his progress and hopes of being a franchise cornerstone in Denver. He is now getting a shot at reviving his NFL career as a member of the Tennessee Titans.
Former Denver Broncos first-rounder Shane Ray resurfaces with Titans
In terms of playing professional football, Ray’s opportunities didn’t just disappear in 2018 after his time with the Broncos ended. He’s gotten shots in the NFL before with the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills, and he also spent a couple of years in the CFL as a member of the Toronto Argonauts.
Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan was an assistant with the Denver Broncos from 2010-15, so he is obviously very familiar with Ray, who won a Super Bowl with the Broncos in that 2015 season.
Ray was injured in his final season with the Toronto Argonauts, but he added “Grey Cup Champion” to his list of accomplishments in football on top of already having won a Super Bowl. Now, the goal is going to be figuring out a way to be a factor in a pass rush rotation once again.
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