Nov 16, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (10) celebrates scoring a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Going up against a pass defense that has held guys like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers in check, Peyton Manning and the Broncos are going to need all hands on deck. You certainly don’t want to rush your star players back from injury, especially in the grand scheme of things, but this game against the Miami Dolphins is huge for the Broncos so they are going to do whatever it takes to get Julius Thomas (ankle) and Emmanuel Sanders (concussion) back on the field.
Thomas and Sanders were both injured against the Rams, though Thomas has had a slower return to the practice field. He’s also battled ankle injuries throughout his career, and the Broncos are likely going to be extra cautious with him. Sanders cleared concussion protocol and will be playing on Sunday, so his status is not in question. He’ll be suiting up.
The question here is whether or not Julius Thomas will play, and right now he’s considered a gametime decision. Along with Virgil Green being questionable, the Broncos could be really thin at the tight end position on Sunday.
Sanders is currently 2nd on the team with seven touchdown catches behind Thomas’ 12, and is only 46 yards away from his first 1,000 yard season as a pro, a milestone that so many people could see coming as he is such a good fit for this Broncos offense.
What Sanders brings to the table is the ability to separate consistently and blow the top off of a defense. What Thomas brings to the table is an ability to kill teams in the red zone, and his presence was sorely missed throughout the game last week against the Rams.
It will be interesting to see if the Broncos roll the dice a bit on Thomas, who returned to practice but was very limited on Friday.