Broncos OT Ja’Wuan James Suffers Season-Ending Achilles Injury

According to Adam Schefter, Broncos OT Ja’Wuan James suffered a season-ending Achilles injury working out away from the team facility. 

As a result, Schefter says James’ $10 million salary for 2021 is now in jeopardy given he was hurt away from the team. 

Beyond that, this could put James’ career in doubt, as since signing with Denver in 2019 he has been hurt for the bulk of his first year with the Broncos, opted out of the 2020 season and is now hurt again. 

If he misses the 2021 season, James will have only played three games in three years for the Broncos since signing a four-year, $52 million deal to be their starting right tackle. 

Broncos GM George Paton said earlier this offseason they expected James to start on the right side for them this year. 

James, 28, was taken with the No. 19 overall pick by the Dolphins back in 2014. He played out the final year of his four-year, $8.4 million contract and made a base salary of $1,569,327 for the 2017 season.

The Dolphins elected to pick up James’ fifth-year option for the 2018 season but he later departed for a four-year, $52 million contract that includes $32 million guaranteed with the Broncos in 2019. 

James was set to make a base salary of $10 million for the 2020 season when he opted out. That was deferred to the 2021 season. 

In 2019, James was limited to appearing in just three games for the Broncos and making three starts at right tackle.