Offensive tackle Ryan Clady will miss several weeks and possibly the entire season with a Lisfranc injury in the arch of his left foot.
An MRI revealed that Clady has a Lisfranc sprain, meaning the metatarsal bone has separated from the tarsus. The most extreme sprains require rest and rehabilitation totaling four months, which would put Clady’s earliest possible return date as the week before the AFC Championship game.
The Broncos are not expected to act immediately with Clady, who was sidelined most of the offseason by a shoulder injury, pushing Chris Clark into regular repetitions in practice with Peyton Manning and the first-team offense.
Clady was injured late in the fourth quarter of Denver’s 41-23 win over the New York Giants.
The prognosis for Clady, a two-time All-Pro, remains unclear, and he will seek additional medical opinions to get a better idea of the extent of the injury.
Placing Clady on injured reserve with a designation to return requires him to sit out for eight weeks. If he missed 8-10 weeks, which is considered the most optimistic timetable for recovering from mild Lisfranc sprains, Clady could be back for the final five regular-season games, including a Dec. 1 game at Kansas City.
Depending on medical opinions, Clady could land on season-ending injured reserve.
The Broncos are evaluating available veteran backups. Left guard Zane Beadles is the primary backup offensive tackle as the roster is currently constituted.
Clady signed a five-year, $52.5 million contract extension in July. He has never missed a game since he was selected in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Broncos.
Clady protects the blind side of quarterback Peyton Manning.