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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- **Rookie left tackle Ty Sambrailo's season is over.
Head Coach Gary Kubiak said Tuesday that Sambrailo is expected to go on injured reserve this week because of the shoulder injury that he sustained against Detroit on Sept. 27.
"I tore my labrum," Sambrailo, adding that he had some issues with bone spurs, as well. He expects the recovery to take four to six months.
"... Knowing that I didn't have the stability or the strength, it's kind of tough to go out there and perform."
The second-round pick is expected to undergo surgery later this week, Kubiak said. He will be the second member of this year's draft class to go on injured reserve, joining fellow second-day pick Jeff Heuerman, who tore an ACL on the second day of rookie camp and was lost for the season.
"He's got a pretty good injury, and they [team medical personnel] don't think it's going to get better," Kubiak said. "It [the injury] is something to do with the back of the shoulder, and it's just not stable."
Sambrailo returned to the practice field on a limited basis Oct. 14, and saw his work incrementally increase until he saw some full-pad, team-period repetitions in the days prior to Sunday's 29-10 win over Green Bay.
"We went through the process week to week, and then last week was the big week of work -- the banging, the pads, and [asking], 'OK, can he do this?'" Kubiak said. "We thought that maybe there was a chance.
"But as we went through the week, and Thursday (when the Broncos practiced in shoulder pads), the way he would come out of the practice -- I think I mentioned to you guys [the media] on Friday, our concern is how he's coming out of the next day."
"It was pretty sore coming out of practice, so we wanted to see if it would be lingering," Sambrailo added. "Moving forward, we just kind of felt it was the best decision for my future and being a Bronco."
Sambrailo suffered an injury to the same shoulder at Colorado State, but he said the injuries were not related, although this one was worse.
"It was just kind of a freak thing," Sambrailo said.
Sambrailo's injury was another blow to a position that was rocked by Ryan Clady's torn ACL, which he suffered on the first day of OTAs in May.
Ryan Harris and Tyler Polumbus will continue to work at left tackle in place of Sambrailo, as they have for the past four games.
Polumbus, who returned to the Broncos this season after over five years away, saw his playing time increase Sunday to 27 snaps, the most he's had since he joined the Broncos last month.
"Tyler kind of knew our verbiage when he got here, which has helped him, but I think the reason he's playing a little bit better each week is because he's playing with us, playing with [LG] Evan [Mathis], playing with the group, taking what [Offensive Line Coach] Clancy [Barone] teaches -- the little nuances of what we do," Kubiak said. "I just think it's repetitions that are helping him."
Kubiak said that he didn't know whether the Broncos would add a new offensive tackle from outside via the street free agent or trade market to supplement Harris and Polumbus.
