Broncos Safety David Bruton Played 77 Snaps With Broken Leg

Early in their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib and safety David Bruton collided. While the former player briefly remained on the ground, neither appeared to be seriously hurt. It turns out that wasn’t the case.

After playing a defense-leading 77 snaps, in addition to 18 plays on special teams, Bruton found out that he had broken his fibula.

“I thought it was a bruise,” Bruton said, according to ESPN’s Jeff Legwold. “There was a sharp pain initially and it just got worse and worse throughout the game.”

The Broncos also felt that Bruton was the target of several dirty hits later in the game.

The safety said that he was told his recovery time would be somewhere between four and six weeks. Assuming the Broncos aren’t eliminated early in the playoffs, that means there is a shot Bruton can return this season. That would also require the team to keep him off the injured reserve, which is not a foregone conclusion either.

“Played the entire game, amazing gut check,” Denver head coach Gary Kubiak said of Bruton. “Obviously David’s going to miss some extensive time here and we’ll how that plays in with the remainder of the season.” 

Photo: David Bruton, a player on the Denver Broncos American football team. Photo by Jeffrey Beall, via Wikimedia Commons.