Su’a Cravens’ return to football has been halted, as the Denver Broncos have placed the safety on injured reserve, according to Mike Klis of KUSA.
Cravens was initially named to the Broncos’ 53-man roster but was placed on IR Sunday and will have to sit out the first eight weeks before he can be activated.
Cravens missed the first three preseason games with a knee injury, including the Week 3 game against his former team the Washington Redskins. He returned for the Broncos’ preseason finale but the knee flared up afterwards and will require another surgical procedure forcing Denver to place him on injured reserve.
Broncos S Su’a Cravens heading to IR and is expected to have another knee procedure. Heard a few weeks ago another procedure on his knee might be needed.
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) September 2, 2018
Entering his second year as a pro, Cravens had contemplated retiring from football in 2017 while with the Redskins shortly after final cuts were made to start the season. After talking to Redskins’ officials, he was given time to consider his future and placed on the exempt list. However, the Redskins placed him on reserve/left squad list, ending his season.
Through his agent, it was later revealed that Cravens had been diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome and was medically cleared by an independent doctor in December. Cravens was then reinstated by the NFL in February. Despite denial from head coach Jay Gruden, the Redskins traded him to the Broncos along with a swap of fourth and fifth round 2018 draft picks.
Throughout the ordeal with the Redskins, Cravens’ toughness and desire to play football was questioned by fans, the organization, and his teammates. A deep conversation with then-Redskins defensive captain Will Compton went viral that depending on how it was view depicted Cravens in a negative light.
Cravens, however, insisted that he wanted to play football but his concussion symptoms were a hurdle for him. The divorce between Cravens and the Redskins were detailed by Sports Illustrated.
In Denver, Cravens set out to rewrite his story and reach his full potential that made him a second-round pick in 2016. Unfortunately, his comeback will be put on hold momentarily as he deals with his knee injury.
