The Denver Broncos gathered for the first day of veteran’s minicamp on Tuesday. The players were excited to hit the field, perhaps none more so than running back C.J. Anderson.
“It feels definitely good to be back; real talk man,” Anderson said. “Everything feels good. Everything is going according to plan. So I’m excited about that.”
The Broncos’ offseason was longer than they’re accustomed to. Anderson’s was longer still. He was placed on injured reserve in October with a torn meniscus. The 26-year old is practicing hard, running and making cuts, but still isn’t quite 100 percent.
“It’s close; it’s really really close,” Anderson said. “I’m out here running around full speed as much as I can. It’s something I haven’t been able to do since October. So it’s really close and I’m excited about the progress.”
Anderson commended the training staff, admitting that whenever he “tweaked it” it was because he didn’t follow their advice. He worked hard so he didn’t have to use a brace, saying he didn’t want to be “walking around like no robot.” Still, there were detractors. People criticized his weight. For them, he had the following retort.
“It happens. Sit down for five months, crutches, brace, let’s see what you look like.”
Now, Anderson happy with where he is at, weighing in at 223 pounds, right around his typical playing weight of 218-222 pounds. He doesn’t want to set a target as to when he will be 100 percent. He’s just hoping to improve every day. He’s sat out a lot of football in his career for myriad reasons. Now, he is hoping to break that trend.
“It’s just frustrating as a player,” he said. “This is my fifth year, going into my fifth year. I didn’t play my rookie year, I played half the season my second year and then the other two years I’ve been nicked up.”
You could see it on his face. Anderson loves playing football. Hopefully, he’ll be on the field full-time for the Broncos this fall.
