LenDale White Out For Season With Torn Achilles

For the second straight year, Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno missed the preseason. Last year, it was a holdout. This year, it was a hamstring injury on the first day of practice.

With Moreno out, head coach Josh McDaniels got a lot of looks at his depth guys, including veteran LenDale White. Traded by Tennessee and eventually cut by Seattle, White was trying to get a fresh start in Denver.

He ran 17 times for 54 yards and two scores in two preseason games, but left Thursday's game at Minnesota with what was termed at the time to be an ankle injury.

ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted Friday that White's injury is actually an Achilles tear, and White will miss the 2010 season.

White was battling to be the Broncos' third running back behind Moreno -- who is expected to play in the Broncos' opener Sept. 12 at Jacksonville -- and veteran Correll Buckhalter. The former Eagle ran for 642 yards and a score last year, while also catching 31 passes in his first year with the Broncos.

It's not a significant blow to the Broncos, especially when you consider that White was to miss the first four games of the season on an NFL suspension, anyway. That said, this adds more questions to Denver's overall depth at the running back position.

Moreno has already been hurt twice in his short NFL career, and Buckhalter did not play at all in 2002, 2004, or 2005, and he has never had more than 129 carries in a season. Youngster Bruce Hall might make the team now as a third running back.