ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The long offseason for wide receiver Demaryius Thomas
finally came to an end Monday.
The 22nd overall pick in last year's draft practiced with the Broncos for the first time today after tearing his Achilles' tendon in February. Thomas said he felt great and was able to participate in most of the drills.
"I did everything today," Thomas said. "I just had to cut some reps down because it was my first day back, and with the Achilles you have to take your time."
Thomas isn't cleared to play in a game yet, and neither he nor the coaching staff knows when that might be, but the trainers will monitor him closely to get him in game shape.
"He's going to be running scout team cards eventually in full pads, and we'll see how he is," General Manager Brian Xanders said Saturday. "We've got to get him in shape leg-wise, quadriceps, hamstrings and all of that has to be working well. We'll see how he does. Hopefully it's sooner than later."
Thomas said his doctor told him the recovery time for an Achilles injury is anywhere from six to 12 months, and the receiver expected to be put on the Players Unable to Perform list once training camp started because he had not yet been able to run. Had the Broncos done that, they could have activated him at any time during training camp, but if he was on the PUP list once the regular season started, he would have had to sit out the first six games.
Denver decided against that and Thomas showed great improvement over the last five weeks. He started running, then zig-zagging through agility ladders before finally running routes. Thomas said he needs to still get his cardio back up but the coaching staff and front office are impressed at his hard work and quick progress.
"He did great job rehabbing himself during the lockout and then he came in and had a great five weeks with us," Xanders said. "Out on the field, the doctors allowed him to work more routes, and more explosion exercises and jumping. There's a lot of stuff to do with the Achilles' tendon there, but he did really well, so they cleared him to go."
Thomas showed from the first game last year what kind of player he could be. In his NFL debut, he had 97 receiving yards and one touchdown on eight catches -- the second-most catches by a Broncos rookie in his pro debut. He finished the season with 22 receptions for 283 yards and two touchdowns, but played in only 10 games as he was nagged by foot injuries last season.
Yet, he hopes those are all behind him and he can move on to have a healthy career.
"It was one of those things where I was like last year it was the foot, and then it was the ankle, and now it's the Achilles, and I was like, 'If I can get through this, hopefully I won't have any more injuries,'" Thomas said.
The 22nd overall pick in last year's draft practiced with the Broncos for the first time today after tearing his Achilles' tendon in February. Thomas said he felt great and was able to participate in most of the drills.
"I did everything today," Thomas said. "I just had to cut some reps down because it was my first day back, and with the Achilles you have to take your time."
Thomas isn't cleared to play in a game yet, and neither he nor the coaching staff knows when that might be, but the trainers will monitor him closely to get him in game shape.
"He's going to be running scout team cards eventually in full pads, and we'll see how he is," General Manager Brian Xanders said Saturday. "We've got to get him in shape leg-wise, quadriceps, hamstrings and all of that has to be working well. We'll see how he does. Hopefully it's sooner than later."
Thomas said his doctor told him the recovery time for an Achilles injury is anywhere from six to 12 months, and the receiver expected to be put on the Players Unable to Perform list once training camp started because he had not yet been able to run. Had the Broncos done that, they could have activated him at any time during training camp, but if he was on the PUP list once the regular season started, he would have had to sit out the first six games.
Denver decided against that and Thomas showed great improvement over the last five weeks. He started running, then zig-zagging through agility ladders before finally running routes. Thomas said he needs to still get his cardio back up but the coaching staff and front office are impressed at his hard work and quick progress.
"He did great job rehabbing himself during the lockout and then he came in and had a great five weeks with us," Xanders said. "Out on the field, the doctors allowed him to work more routes, and more explosion exercises and jumping. There's a lot of stuff to do with the Achilles' tendon there, but he did really well, so they cleared him to go."
Thomas showed from the first game last year what kind of player he could be. In his NFL debut, he had 97 receiving yards and one touchdown on eight catches -- the second-most catches by a Broncos rookie in his pro debut. He finished the season with 22 receptions for 283 yards and two touchdowns, but played in only 10 games as he was nagged by foot injuries last season.
Yet, he hopes those are all behind him and he can move on to have a healthy career.
"It was one of those things where I was like last year it was the foot, and then it was the ankle, and now it's the Achilles, and I was like, 'If I can get through this, hopefully I won't have any more injuries,'" Thomas said.
