ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — In the wake of Ja’Wuan James‘ season-ending injury, the Denver Broncos on Wednesday signed Bobby Massie to play right tackle.
According to Massie’s representatives, Massie agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal. The 31-year-old has started 110 games in his career and figures to be the Broncos’ starter at right tackle when they open the season Sept. 19 against the New York Giants.
James suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury early last week. The Broncos on Monday will begin phase 2 of their offseason program, which will permit some limited on-field work for players in attendance.
Massie was a player the Broncos were interested in signing in 2016, when he joined the Chicago Bears in free agency. Massie spent the past five seasons with the Bears after playing his first four years in the league with the Arizona Cardinals.
Massie missed the last eight games of the 2020 regular season because of a knee injury but had returned to practice before the end of the season. He did not play in the Bears’ wild-card loss to the New Orleans Saints.
The Broncos have largely been vexed at right tackle over the past eight years. At least two players have started games at the position in each of the past eight seasons, as the Broncos used four different players at right tackle in 2020 and 2017.
The Broncos have not had a player start all 16 games of a season at right tackle since Orlando Franklin did it in 2012.
James, who opted out last season because of concerns over COVID-19, has played a combined 63 snaps over three games — all in 2019 — since he signed a four-year, $51 million deal with the Broncos in March of that year. James said during the 2019 season he had suffered a torn meniscus as well as a torn MCL in separate games that season.