With the bad news of Antonio Brown joining the same division as the Denver Broncos, the Broncos received good news just a day after. Emmanuel Sanders said he is ahead of schedule in his recovery from his torn achilles.

According to Sanders himself, he is “way ahead of schedule” in his recovery. Brown's former teammate on the Pittsburgh Steelers has been a key contributor for the Broncos for a few years now.

His 2018 season ended prematurely when he tore his achilles on December 5th. It was a huge blow to a Broncos squad that was trying to make a playoff run, but fell to the wayside after Sanders went down.

Before his injury, Sanders had 71 catches for 868 yards and four touchdowns. He was well on his way to his fourth 1,000-yard season with Denver in his five years with the organization.

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The Broncos are in an awkward place though. Regardless of Sanders' status, they traded for Joe Flacco this offseason, less than a year after signing Case Keenum.

Flacco is likely a slight upgrade over Keenum but doesn't elevate the team to contending status. The Broncos also will need Courtland Sutton to step up in his sophomore season in 2019.

In a division that has the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers plus with Brown joining the Raiders, a high-powered offense is vitally important to succeed.

The Broncos are going to need someone like Sanders to be on the field now more than ever. If you're a Broncos fan, you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing Sanders is on track to return this season.