ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- J.J. Arrington's Denver Broncos career ended before he even took his first handoff when the team released the running back Thursday following a failed physical.
Arrington signed a four-year contract worth about $10 million in early March and figured to be the Broncos' third-down specialist, a role similar to the one that he played for the NFC champion Arizona Cardinals last season. However, his right knee, which caused him to fail the physical, has been giving Arrington trouble since he had arthroscopic surgery soon after the Cardinals' loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl.
Arrington's agent, J.R. Rickert, said he and his client are consulting with doctors to decide on the next move.
"We're doing our due diligence to get proper medical advice," Rickert said. "He's doing OK, a little disappointed under the circumstances. He was doing everything in his power to rehab his current situation."
The Broncos had a rash of injuries in the backfield last season and placed seven running backs on injured reserve.
The Broncos kept adding depth at running back this offseason, signing veterans Correll Buckhalter, LaMont Jordan and Arrington in free agency. Denver also selected Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno with the 12th overall pick in last month's draft in an attempt to further bolster its backfield.
The release of J.J. Arrington only means that first-round pick
Knowshon Moreno will have an even greater fantasy impact on the
Broncos' offense,
Michael Fabiano writes.
More ...
Broncos coach Josh McDaniels was hopeful that Arrington could bounce back from the bothersome knee injury.
"It just got to the point where we realized and he realized that it wasn't going to work out for him this year with the injury," McDaniels said. "He was great for us when he was here, had a great attitude and great approach. ... Who knows? Maybe we'll get another opportunity down the road."
That's something Arrington's camp definitely would consider.
"He had a great, albeit short, relationship with coach McDaniels," Rickert said.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
