If there is one positive that comes along with missing the playoffs, it’s that the Denver Broncos will enter the season with plenty of rest.
While a 9-7 2016 season was disappointing to everyone, from the players to the fans, the extra time off has a number of the Broncos feeling better than they have in recent years.
“This is the best I’ve felt my entire career,” wide receiver Demaryius Thomas said during the second week of OTAs.
Thomas admitted that he injured his hip against the Carolina Panthers on the very first play of last season. Thomas powered through the pain to catch 90 passes for 1,083 yards and five touchdowns. Despite posting his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season, he didn’t look like the Thomas of old.
With an extended offseason, Thomas is playing with a healthy hip and a clear head.
“If you go out without pain, you can run routs on this side or that side,” Thomas said. “It’s basically getting equal now. There’s more joy. I’m having a lot more fun. I’m not worried about guys covering me on one side or the other. I’m enjoying it.”
Like Thomas, defensive end Derek Wolfe battled injuries all last season as well. Wolfe missed two games due to an elbow and neck injury. Wolfe, like Thomas, has benefited from the extended offseason.
“I’m great,” Wolfe said. “I’m 20 pounds heavier than I was last year. My neck is healthy. Last offseason was so short. It was hard for me to recover and get back to my normal weight. I’m walking out at about 305-310 [pounds] right now. I’m moving as well as I’ve ever moved, so I feel great.”
Another one of the Broncos’ defensive cornerstones missed significant time due to injury. After missing five games last season due to a hamstring injury, linebacker Brandon Marshall can notice the difference between this offseason and the previous one.
“I feel new,” Marshall said. “I’ve been doing different things. I was talking to some other players. You can’t do the same thing every offseason, every workout. Something has to switch up. I’ve been doing some different things and I feel good.”
When Derek Wolfe went down with his injury, Jared Crick did his best to pick up the slack. Unlike Wolfe and Marshall, Crick played in all 16 games last season on his way to a 53-tackle and three-sack season. Despite a successful year, Crick also benefited from the offseason.
