Broncos hoping Emmanuel Sanders will be ready for regular season
By Allison Cary
After suffering an Achilles injury four months ago, Emmanuel Sanders is on the field working on his recovery. The Broncos are hopeful that he’ll be ready to go for Week One.
Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders suffered a torn Achilles tendon during an early December practice last season. Up until that point, Sanders had led the team in receiving with 71 catches, 868 yards, and four touchdowns. Now, he’s going through the rehabilitation process, hopeful that he’ll get back on the practice field sooner rather than later.
On Tuesday, Sanders worked with trainers on lateral movement and straight-line running. His speed gave him plenty of encouragement.
“Once they told me I hit 19.2 [miles per hour] and it’s only four months in, I was like, ‘All right, I still got it,'” Sanders said to Broncos’ writer Aric Dilalla.
While Sanders said that he is happy to get back out on the field, he also has no clear timetable for his recovery.
"“We’ll see,” he said. “You know how the trainers are. We’re not going to put a date on anything. We’re just going to take it one day at a time. Hopefully I’m back out there by then, but if I’m not, I’m not going to rush it. I’m going to take my time and make sure I’m 100 percent by the time I get on the field.”"
The ultimate goal for the Broncos and Sanders is for him to be ready to go for Week One. If that means taking his recovery a little slow, and not rushing into running routes at this summer’s training camp, so be it. Sanders also has some personal incentive to make this a good year– the 32-year-old is in the final year of his contract.
Sanders will be a critical tool for new quarterback Joe Flacco. The wide receiver corps in Denver didn’t do too well after Sanders got injured last season, and the Broncos lost all their remaining games. Denver hasn’t made any big offseason moves when it comes to wide receiver, meaning Sanders is still their main guy.
So far, the signs are good. But Sanders’ recovery is all about patience.
"“When I do run full speed, I feel good running,’’ Sanders said. “I wouldn’t say we’re ahead of schedule, I wouldn’t say we’re behind schedule. I just feel like we’re somewhere in between there. We’ll see how it goes and once I start running routes, seeing how I feel.’’"