The Denver Broncos are looking to start from scratch after their two-season stint with Russell Wilson under center went horribly wrong. Wilson is gone, and the team drafted their quarterback of the future in Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. There's a lot of hope surrounding the new-look Broncos, but they may already be getting hit by the injury bug.
While OTAs are getting underway across the league, some players have been around the team since April as part of their respective team's offseason programs. One guy who was around for the Broncos was second-year linebacker Drew Sanders, but he was dealt a crushing injury update on Monday night that suggests he will miss the entire 2024 campaign.
“Sources told ESPN on Monday night Sanders suffered a torn Achilles early on in the team's offseason program in mid-April, as first reported by 9News in Denver. Sanders has had surgery to repair the torn tendon, and his recovery time is expected to be between six and nine months.” – Jeff Legwold, ESPN
Broncos dealt big blow way ahead of 2024 campaign
Sanders was simply participating in the Broncos offseason program back in April when he tore his Achilles, and while he quickly underwent surgery, recovering from this injury takes awhile. There's a chance he could recover and return late in the campaign, but if Denver has nothing to play for, there wouldn't really be any sense in rushing him back on the field.
The Broncos selected Sanders in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and he had a decent rookie campaign as he gradually became more involved in their defense (24 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FR). The hope was that Sanders could take on a bigger role in Denver's linebacker corps this season, but those plans have now been put on hold after this latest injury development.
With Sanders out, Alex Singleton and Cody Barton will likely man the inside linebacker spots for the Broncos, although that's likely the duo they would have opened the season with anyways. However, their depth is looking a bit light without Sanders, so the Broncos front office may want to check out the free agent market and see if they can find someone else to come in and round out the position.
Achilles injuries are always brutal, and it's tough to see Sanders get sidelined with this ailment in a year where he was hoping to take the next step forward. The Broncos should be able to get by without him in the near future, but this has presented a considerable roadblock in Sanders' development, and hopefully he will be able to make a full recovery and pick up right where he left off when he eventually returns to the field.
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