ENGLEWOOD, Colo – A bit of panic came over Broncos Country on Sunday when news broke that Demaryius Thomas was seeking a second opinion on a hip injury. In most minds, needing a second opinion is not a good thing, but as Thomas explained on Thursday, that’s simply protocol.
Since Sunday, the panic has died down a bit as Thomas has been seen on the practice field every day, but whether he will play is still in question.
“He ran really well today and particular things that we do for him, we try to script him the right way,” head coach Gary Kubiak said after practice. “We’re just trying to be smart with him.”
“I feel a lot better than yesterday,” Thomas added. “That was the first day back. We had a five-day break. Being able to go out and do some stuff yesterday and being able to get back out there today was a little better.”
Despite the progress, it’s far from a sure thing that the Broncos star receiver will play on Sunday. After all, it is Week 2 and while “DT” is not a guy who misses games—playing in every contest since 2012—he realizes he needs to be careful.
“I think so,” he said of if he needs to be more cautious with this than last season’s neck injury. “A hip comes with a lot more things, especially with what I do as a receiver—stopping out of breaks, going down field and even taking hits. I take hits with my neck as well but with the hip, you never know.”
Another reason for caution is the fact that this is not a new issue for Thomas.
“It’s something that I’ve been dealing with for a while, it’s just a little different,” he admitted. “It flared up a little bit more this time. It’s kind of the same thing that happened back in 2012. I feel like it’s some of the stuff that I had been dealing with last year.”
In the end, though, the three-time Pro-Bowler expects to be on the field on Sunday as the Broncos take on a Colts team with an extremely depleted secondary, stating, “I think I’ll be fine.” But first, he’s going to pray, work, get treatment and simply hope “nothing freaky happens.”
The Broncos hope to have one of Trevor Siemian’s best targets out there when the kid makes his second start, but resting the big wideout might be worth considering as the team is not likely to face a secondary in such bad of shape the rest of the season.
