21 August 2023 , 21:33
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The Buffalo Bills have announced that one of the team’s new signings has been placed on injured reserve.
The Bills signed defensive end Shane Ray back in May after he had spent nearly five years away from the NFL. The 30-year-old had not been part of a franchise since being released by the Denver Broncos in 2018.
Ray was the No.23 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft for the Broncos. However, he would spend much of the next three years on the sidelines recovering from a series of injuries.
The linebacker suffered a string of wrist injuries, undergoing surgery four times across a two-year period before he was released. He has not played an NFL game since 2018 for the Broncos. He was later signed by the Baltimore Ravens but would leave without playing a game.
Now Ray has been dealt a fresh injury blow on the eve of the 2023 NFL regular season with the Bills. The AFC East franchise have announced that Ray has been placed on the injured reserve, and is joined by offensive tackle Tommy Doyle.
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As a result, Ray will not be eligible to return to the active roster for the Bills over the course of the 2023 regular season. That means that he will go more than five years without playing in the NFL.
It remains to be seen what Ray’s future in Buffalo holds in the long term. When he signed for the Bills in May, he expressed his gratitude at getting another chance to play in the NFL, which sadly for him has now been halted yet again.
“Words can’t describe the emotions I’m feeling right now,” he wrote on Instagram on May 14. “So many tears, sleepless nights, depression, everything that comes with losing the game. So many days of having nothing but hope while fighting an uphill battle.
"There were 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 (in me).
"There are so many people that have been on this journey with me supporting me and I thank you all. When I needed someone to lean on you all wouldn’t let me fall. Most importantly thank you, God!”
The Bills are still busy preparing for the start of the 202 NFL regular season. There is one more pre-season friendly game against the Chicago Bears, before the Week One opener against AFC East rivals the New York Jets.