Getty Shane Ray celebrates a play in a Denver Broncos game.
Shane Ray kicked off an unlikely NFL comeback when he earned a contract from the Buffalo Bills in May, but one insider believes he’ll fall short of completing that comeback by making the team’s final roster later in the summer.
The defensive end, who joined the NFL as a first-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos in 2015, saw his career derailed by injuries and has not suited up for a game since 2018. Ray is competing with a crowded group of pass rushers, and Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News predicted that he will not end up on the final 53-man roster — though could ultimately land another role with the team.
Shane Ray’s Long Odds
As Skurski noted, Ray is likely on the outside of the roster bubble heading into training camp. The team already has a deep rotation at edge rusher, with Ray needing to beat out several players in order to have a chance at making the final roster.
“Ray would need to have a spectacular training camp, and even if he did, that might not be enough unless there was an injury or two to players ahead of him on the depth chart,” Skurski wrote. “As it stands, Ray is no better than No. 8 on the depth chart at a position the team is unlikely to keep more than five players.”
Skurski noted that edge rusher Von Miller could likely start the season on injured reserve, but Ray would still have a tall task to beat out enough players to make the roster. Ray also has a disadvantage when it comes to his resume, as his last NFL action came five seasons ago.
But Skurski added that Ray could still earn a spot on the practice squad, which would give him a shot to earn a call-up to the active roster in the case of injuries.
Shane Ray’s Emotional Comeback
Ray appeared headed for a strong career during his rookie season, where he played 30% of the defensive snaps for a Broncos team that went on to win the Super Bowl. Playing alongside Miller, Ray had four sacks in 15 games that season.
But Ray struggled with injuries over the course of his career, suffering a torn wrist ligament in 2017 and missing long stretches of the following two seasons.
Ray joined the Baltimore Ravens in the 2019 offseason but failed to make the final roster, SI.com’s Bills Central noted. After spending two years away from football, Ray signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, where two strong seasons earned him another chance in the NFL.
After signing with the Bills in May, Ray took to Instagram to share an emotional post about his NFL comeback.
“Words can’t describe the emotions I’m feeling right now,” he wrote in the caption. “So many tears, sleepless nights, depression, everything that comes with losing the game. So many days of having nothing but hope while fighting a uphill battle. There where times that I thought maybe I should give up, but I wouldn’t be me if I folded.Even in my darkest moments I believed in myself. I believed in my preparation. I believed that I would have another opportunity even if the world didn’t believe.”