ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Broncos inside linebacker Jonas Griffith is undergoing a season-ending ACL surgery for a second consecutive year, Griffith himself announced on his Instagram account Friday evening.
“Why would this happen to me again?’’ Griffith wrote before following that he knows God wouldn’t give him anything he couldn’t handle.
Griffith was waived Tuesday by the Broncos without an injury designation which raises questions as to whether the imaging tests didn’t show the tear initially, whether the damage was missed, or if the knee injury took a few days to flare up. The Broncos are expected to retroactively place Griffith on season-ending injured reserve.
The Broncos have undergone changes in their medical team this year with Dr. Martin Boublik retiring after 30 years with emeritus status. For the 2024 season, Boublik has been replaced by orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist Dr. James Genuario, who had been Boublik’s partner with the Steadman Hawkins Clinic Denver.
“I’m heartbroken, angry and confused,’’ Griffith wrote. “Especially knowing I didn’t skip any steps during my recovery to this point.”
Griffith played in the Broncos’ final preseason game Sunday against Arizona but no injury was reported.
The Broncos had hoped to sign Griffith back on their practice squad with a decent possibility he could be elevated on game day. But as his injury became more evident Thursday, the Broncos signed veteran inside linebacker Kristian Welch while waiving rookie Levelle Bailey. The Broncos are now signing Bailey to their practice squad.
Griffith was initially acquired from San Francisco prior to the 2021 season as a special teams linebacker. He started playing linebacker for the Broncos late that season, then started the first half of 2022 — ahead of Alex Singleton — before suffering a season-ending foot injury during a mid-November practice.
Griffith returned last year but suffered an ACL tear during training camp. He came all the way back this year and while he didn’t beat out Cody Barton for the starting inside linebacker spot next to Singleton, Griffith was in the Broncos’ plans for this season.
“My story with football is far from over and I will be a better me because of this challenge,’’ Griffith added.
