Denver Broncos: Emmanuel Sanders on track from Achilles tear
Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders sustained a devastating Achilles injury detailing a chance to come back in 2018, but he looks really good now.
The Denver Broncos wide receiver posted on Instagram a video of himself cutting on a dime during multiple routes to test the strength of his Achilles. By the looks of it, Sanders is quickly looking healthy for the 2019 season.
It is important that he shows strong signs of positive development with the Achilles tear. Those types of injuries are hard to come back from. In any sport that requires movement of your ankle, any injury to that region is a devastating blow to what a player can accomplish.
The Denver Broncos saw first hand what it did to their offense in 2018. When Sanders went down to injury, the engine of the wide receiver corps went dead silent. There are arguments to be made for a poor quarterback performance. However, that’s not the point to make.
Sanders is the heartbeat of the wide receiver group. If he cannot move well on his ankle, then just about the entire route tree Sanders needs to run is compromised. In looking at the Instagram video of Sanders running with sharp releases and breaks, there appears to be a sense the ankle is getting healthier quicker than expected.
He will need that ankle healthy if he wants to run routes in a Rich Scangarello offense dominated by plenty of variation routes. This is something that Sanders does exceptionally well.
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If Sanders is a full-go for Training Camp 2019, then the Denver Broncos offense will be close to reaching full power. There’s no player currently on the roster capable of blowing the doors of corners or show flexibility to be in the slot. The latter is an impressive spot for Sanders who could be facing nickel corners or linebackers occasionally.
At the end of the day, it still might be smart to take it one day at a time with Sanders’ Achilles injury. It is a scary injury that can rear its ugly head again and doom Sanders progress. Loren Landow and others do not want that to happen.
The great news is Sanders is moving exceptionally well for that type of injury. An Achilles tear regularly takes up to 12 to 13 months to recover. Fact, Sanders is reaching this sign now before Training Camp is a great sign.