Broncos tackle Ryan Clady needs shoulder surgery to repair the injury that forced him to miss the Pro Bowl and his replacement in the game is also headed for a date with doctors this offseason.
Bengals tackle Andrew Whitworth replaced Clady and played on Sunday even though he needs to have surgery to deal with scar tissue in his knee. Whitworth told the Bengals website that the procedure is minor enough that he wasn’t at risk by playing in Hawaii and that he was well used to playing in pain after dealing with the issue for the last two seasons.
“It’s just a little repair; nothing big,” Whitworth said. “Everybody in the league deals with something like this. I did it about two years ago and it just wasn’t getting any better. Now we’ve got a chance to get something done with plenty of time to rest.”
Whitworth is expected to miss the team’s OTA schedule in the spring while he rehabs from the surgery. He should be back in time for a full training camp, however, and hopes to have a pain-free 2013 season.