The Denver Broncos may have been eliminated from playoff contention but the worst news this season is that Phillip Lindsay needs surgery.
The Denver Broncos have been eliminated from playoff contention. As a matter of fact, at this point in time, that’s old news. They are merely days away from firing their head coach. They are fresh off of a Christmas Eve loss to the previously 3-11 Oakland Raiders.
Yet the worst news of the season has nothing to do with any of these things. The worst news of the season is that running back Phillip Lindsay is out with a wrist injury that will reportedly require surgery and a vague 4-6 month recovery period.
RB Phillip Lindsay will have surgery, Broncos coach Vance Joseph said on @orangeblue760, describing the injury as “serious."
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 26, 2018
In a down year for the Denver Broncos, the emergence of Lindsay — the first rookie undrafted free agent running back to be selected to the Pro Bowl –was a bright spot. Lindsay eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark against the Raiders in the Broncos’ loss, but he injured his wrist in that game and faces a lengthy recovery.
It’s easy to think that even a pessimistic estimation of the full six months required to recover for Lindsay is no big deal and that he will be ready by June and easily ready for training camp in July, but it’s never that easy.
Lindsay will need time not only to recover from the surgery but also to build up the strength in his upper body to where it was. Part of Lindsay’s game is obviously being physical but he also does a great job of just running by defenders and avoiding really hard contact.
That wasn’t the case on the hit that effectively ended his season, but sometimes injuries happen in the NFL and there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s a physical game.
With the injury being described as ‘serious’ it’s hard not to be a little afraid at this point in time. Lindsay is a dynamic player and has emerged as one of the new stars on the Broncos. Uncertainty about his future is the last thing this franchise needs as the entire fan base rallied around his spectacular rookie season.
He’s not only become a household name in Denver, but the rest of the NFL has also taken notice and the guy went from no invitation to the Scouting Combine to a Pro Bowl selection in less than a year.
Hopefully, Lindsay’s recovery time is four months or less and he’s back to full strength in no time.