Season ending injuries are a fairly normal occurance at this time of year, but for NFL coaches and front offices, they’re never easy to stomach, especially when they happen to their players.

Two teams were hit with bad news on that front last night, as multiple running backs went down with severe injuries. The Browns lost their primary backup at the position in rookie rusher Montario Hardesty to a torn ACL, while the Broncos had LenDale White go down with a torn Achilles tendon.

Both players will be gone for the entire season while rehabbing from their injuries, but it’s doubtful that White will ever return to the form he showed during his time in Tennessee, as torn Achilles tendons are rarely overcome, especially by running backs in the NFL.

Hardesty on the other hand, should be able to make a return to the team next year, but his loss from this season’s squad will definitely hurt the Browns rushing game, as they’ll now be forced to rely heavily on Jerome Harrison to carry the load.

Harrison did well with the playing time he received last year, but Cleveland seemed reluctant to annoint him as the featured back during the off-season, opening the door to questioning on his ability to handle the responsibility of such a role.

As for Denver, White was not expected to be a major part of their offense this season, with Knowshon Moreno carrying the ball most of the time. That said, his injury leaves the Broncos with significant depth issues at the position, making it likely that they’ll be trolling the waiver wire this weekend in search of a quality backup.

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