News broke last weekend that Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson is playing through a partially torn lat in his right throwing shoulder. That injury has left some fans and pundits wondering if Wilson’s shoulder is hindering the quarterback’s performance.
Broncos guard Dalton Risner was asked about that on Tuesday. Risner was quick to praise his quarterback and he then brushed off the notion of worrying about an injury slowing Wilson down.
“You know, Russell is a warrior,” Risner said. “For me as an offensive lineman, I love blocking for that guy, and I love going to war for him. I’ll continue to go to war for him each and every day, each and every game. It’s no question now that you guys know that he’s been battling an injury. The cool thing about Russell is that it wasn’t something that he let everyone know. It wasn’t something that he wasn’t complaining about during the week. He wanted to go to war and help us get a win.”
Denver was unable to get a win at home against the Indianapolis Colts last week, but Wilson did demonstrate toughness by playing through the injury. He’s expected to do so again this week when the Broncos go on the road to face the Los Angeles Chargers.
“It’s not my job to figure out what’s affecting my quarterback or anything like that,” Risner said. “It’s my job to protect him, and it’s my job to keep him clean. We all go through injuries, but we all have to be warriors and that is exactly what he’s done. It’s not my job to think about my teammates’ play. I think the most important thing for us as the Denver Broncos offense is to understand that we all have to do our job. When all 11 of us on that field do our job, that’s when we’re going to get it clicking.”
Denver’s offense has struggled to click through the first five games, averaging just 15 points per game this year, the second-worst total in the league. Risner has been penalized once and has allowed one sack. Wilson has thrown three interceptions and he’s been sacked 16 times.
Regardless of whether or not the injury is playing a role in Wilson’s struggles, the QB — and the entire offense — need to turn things around soon. If they don’t, the Broncos could quickly find themselves in a hole too deep to dig out of in a competitive conference.
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