Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay faced a long road to recovery after undergoing wrist surgery last year. He’s made a lot of progress since December but the running back was forced to sit on the sidelines while teammates Royce Freeman and Devontae Booker ran through drills at OTAs and minicamp this spring.
“Any injury is frustrating [and] I’m anxious to get out there with my teammates,” Lindsay said after practice on June 5. “I see ‘Book’ and Royce putting in a lot of work, and I want to be out there with them. I like the grind. I like being tired. I like the sweat, the blood, the tears. That’s what I’m here for. I can’t wait to get back to that.”
Lindsay could be participating but the team’s doctors don’t want to risk him falling on his wrist or getting bumped into and re-injuring it before it fully recovers. After a long summer break, Lindsay will be fully recovered in time for training camp, which begins in mid-July.
“It’s a particular injury where they tell me everything’s gone well and they just don’t want it to get bumped on yet,” coach Vic Fangio said. “He can go out there and do everything. They just want to use this time and the next five weeks to make sure he’s ready to go.”
Lindsay says will be ready to go when he gets the green light.
“I feel like I’m very close,” he said. “It’s going to come down to the head coach and our training staff to make the decisions. I trust them. For me, I’m going to be ready when it’s time. That’s it. When they say it’s time to go, they say I’m going today, I’ll be ready.”
After gaining 1,278 yards from scrimmage and scoring 10 touchdowns last season, Lindsay earned a Pro Bowl nod. He became the first undrafted offensive rookie to be voted to the All-Star game in NFL history.
Lindsay will be looking to make more history in 2019.
