Broncos close to getting secret pass rush weapon back from injury

The Denver Broncos sent one pass rusher out the door with the Baron Browning trade to the Arizona Cardinals, but part of the reason for that trade could be the fact that another young player is getting back onto the field soon.

Specifically, the Denver Broncos just welcomed 2023 third-round pick Drew Sanders back to the practice field on Wednesday, his first official practice since suffering an Achilles injury back in April during the team's first OTAs session.

Is it possible that Sanders could be a secret pass rush weapon joining the fray here for the second half of the 2024 season?

Broncos welcoming Drew Sanders back to 2024 pass rush rotation

The fact that Sanders is actually returning to the field here near the beginning of the month of November is huge news for him and the Denver Broncos both.

For Sanders, this is a crucial year. He started last season as an off-ball linebacker for the Broncos (which he played at Arkansas) but by the end of the season, he was playing special teams and off the edge as a pass rusher (which he played at Alabama). Although Sanders became an All-American as an off-ball linebacker at Arkansas, he came into the NFL as somewhat of a "positionless" player and the Broncos envisioned him as a pressure player from the very start.

READ MORE: 3 glaring problems the Broncos must fix before playing the Chiefs

Now, it looks as though he's officially transitioned to the edge, something that was still up in the air when we were hearing from George Paton and Sean Payton during the offseason.

Sanders looks bigger in the upper body and he is already looking explosive out there. He's been working on the side field now for quite some time, so he might be more ready for game action than anyone even really realizes at this point.

And he could definitely be a secret weapon off the edge for the Broncos. Not only is Sanders gifted physically and athletically, but his wealth of experience playing all over the place makes him a unique matchup type of player. The Broncos could drop him into coverage, they could ask him to blitz, or they could just have him pin his ears back and go get the quarterback.

There's going to be a raw element to his game still, especially coming off of an injury that would normally end someone's season, but seeing him back out there is big. Sanders really couldn't afford a full year without on-field reps given the ambiguity of his NFL landing spot position-wise.

Sanders was listed as a limited participant in his first practice of the year and while he may not be ready to play against the Chiefs, the Broncos have officially opened up a 21-day window for him to return to the active roster. We should be seeing the talented former third-round pick at some point very soon.