Generally, when an athlete suffers a torn Achilles, they are sidelined for about a year, as it is a truly devastating injury that involves a very long recovery period.
But Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders seems to be breaking the mold.
He tore his Achilles back in December, but he is already taking part in Broncos training camp, and he is feeling pretty good to boot:
“It felt good. It felt really good,” Sanders said, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. “Happy to be back out here. I tore my Achilles seven months ago, so to be back out here and running routes with no pain and feeling good and cutting and feeling like myself, a lot of people didn’t expect that. It’s a testament to all the hard work I put in and all the pain I went through to be standing here.”
Now, it should be noted that Sanders isn't 100 percent back, as he did not take part in 11-on-11 drills on Thursday, but he did some other stuff on the side and seems to be making great progress.
Sanders played in 12 games this past season, hauling in 71 receptions for 868 yards and four touchdowns.
The 32-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Southern Methodist, was originally selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round (82nd pick overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft.
He spent his first four seasons with the Steelers before joining the Broncos in 2014. Since then, Sanders has made a couple of Pro Bowl appearances, with his year coming in 2014 when he caught 101 passes for 1,404 yards and nine scores.