Willis McGahee's future with the Denver Broncos was officially in question the moment the team drafted Wisconsin running back Montee Ball. McGahee has suffered a slew of injuries that has hampered his productivity with the Broncos and on Thursday his fate was sealed. The team has officially released the veteran running back.
ESPN reports that the rumors of a possible release have become true. McGahee reported to Broncos camp and alluded to the chance that he may be asked to hand his jersey in. The running back said "if something happens, it happens" noting that Denver would likely have a competition for the starting spot at running back.
John Elway released a statement saying, "It's never easy to part ways with a veteran player who made so many positive contributions to our team and community. I appreciate all of the competitiveness, toughness and leadership Willis brought to the Broncos. He was an integral part of our team's turnaround during the past two seasons."
McGahee's future was in trouble since he had decided to skip OTA practices, giving rookies the chance to excel ahead of him. At 31, McGahee was coming off a knee injury and broken leg that he had been attempting to rehab over the offseason. McGahee played an important role in Denver earning the 2011 AFC West title. He rushed for 1,199 yards and four touchdowns while getting a trip to the Pro Bowl. In 2012, he only rushed for 731 yards. McGahee was due $2.5 million in 2013, and Denver decided to go ahead and part ways with the veteran.
The release of McGahee leaves Ball, Ronnie Hillman and Knowshon Moreno to battle to start. Moreno is coming off a knee injury of his own and has yet to be seen at practice. Hillman and Ball have been receiving most of the practice time with the team, impressing coaches and quarterback Peyton Manning.
Ball and Manning have been working over-time with one another as the quarterback has been trying to get the rookie up to speed as quickly as possible. He knows that the ground game will be an important aspect of the team's game plan in 2013 and believes Ball has the skill set to be the future in Denver.