J.D. Walton injured leg, won't return for Broncos vs. Raiders

Denver Broncos center J.D. Walton exited Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders with an apparent ankle injury. He will not return to the game, per the team's PR department (via Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post).

Walton appeared to suffer the injury on a third-down play late in the first half, during which his leg was rolled up underneath an Oakland defender. He was helped off the field after the play, and the Broncos attempted a fake field goal, which they did not convert, on the following snap. Walton, a third-round pick in 2010 out of Baylor, has started 36 consecutive games to begin his NFL career.

Dan Koppen, a 10-year veteran who the Broncos signed in the offseason, replaced Walton on the Broncos' next possession. Koppen spent his entire career with the New England Patriots before being released during their final cuts a week prior to the start of the 2012 season.