Broncos outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil will have surgery Tuesday to repair a chest injury that will keep him out for most, or likely all, of the season if doctors find the damage that is expected.
Broncos head team physician Ted Schlegel is scheduled to perform the surgery. Dumervil visited Dr. Michael Dillingham in San Francisco Friday to get a second opinion on the surgical diagnosis that was made by the Broncos' doctors.
Dumervil then returned to Denver and the surgery was scheduled.
The damage to the pectoral muscle will be examined in the surgery - it can be difficult to assess all of the damage in that muscle because of the size and thickness of the tissue even in an MRI - and the pectoral tendon will be re-attached.
Dumervil suffered the injury in Wednesday night's practice during a 1-on-1 drill. As he engaged tackle Tyler Polumbus, Dumervil extended his right arm and then quickly pulled it down as he grimaced in pain.
He walked off the field gripping the neck of his shoulder pads with this right hand as he kept his right elbow pinned to his body. Tests later confirmed he had damaged the pectoral muscle and pectoral tendon.
Normally the recovery time is four to five months for such an injury before a player is ready to return to the field, though Broncos officials were not going to rule out a return date for Dumervil until doctors did the surgery.
Dumervil, who was the NFL's sack leader with 17 this past season, signed a five-year $58.33 million extension before the start of training camp, most of which is guaranteed against injury.
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