Wes Welker injury: ‘A lot of optimism’ about receiver’s status after concussion
By Hayden Kane
The Denver Broncos face a bit of uncertainty on an offense that is coming off a record-setting season in 2013. The plans for Peyton Manning and company stand to undergo a fairly significant change if slot receiver Wes Welker is out for an extended period of time, however.
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That is a distinct possibility after Welker sustained his third concussion in the last 10 months on Saturday night against the Houston Texans. Welker and those around the Broncos were quick to squash any conversations about retirement, but that did not necessarily indicate that Welker would be ready to go anytime soon.
As for the question of when Welker will be able to play and if it might even be possible that he plays in week 1 of the 2014 NFL season, it sounds like the Broncos actually expressed some hope on that front as well.
There seems to be a lot of optimism on Welker's status in Denver, per Omar Ruiz. No discussions inside the building about retirement.
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) August 25, 2014
With the increased attention paid to concussion protocol in general and specifically when it comes to repeat concussions for guys like Welker, there will be a lot of scrutiny if the Broncos do declare Welker to be ready anytime soon.
Welker will not retire, but he might not necessarily be back anytime soon. Nevertheless, the Broncos seem to think that they will still get meaningful contributions from their gritty slot guy during the 2014 season as they seek another berth in the Super Bowl.