ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Von Miller surprised Vic Fangio on Thursday.
Since having ankle surgery after suffering a dislocated peroneal tendon on Sept. 8 in practice, the Broncos’ star pass rusher has been rolling around the practice field with his foot in a boot propped up on a scooter.
But on Thursday, there wasn’t a scooter. There wasn’t a boot. Instead, Von was walking around the practice field in tennis shoes.
“Yeah I was surprised to see him without the boot also,” Fangio said after Thursday’s practice.
Up until Thursday, the Broncos’ head coach hadn’t been surprised at any point in Miller’s recovery. Every time Fangio has been asked about it, he’s insisted Von’s on track, adding he’s still a ways away.
But Thursday’s development was different for Vic.
“In fact, I went over to him because I believe it was yesterday that he told me he was going to have to have the boot on until next Wednesday or Thursday,” Fangio explained. “When I saw him without the boot on, I noticed and asked him about it and he said that they told him that he’s making good progress, still a long ways away and they told him he can go out there without the boot.”
“Good progress.” That’s certainly good news for the Broncos.
On Thursday, Miller was a week ahead of schedule for what the doctors thought just a day before. That was a very welcomed surprise for Fangio.
When Von suffered the devastating injury just days before the Broncos’ season opener, it was described as a five-to-six month rehab process. That timeline would have Miller out for the entire season.
However, there was a best-case scenario of a person being able to recover in just three months. That timetable would bring Miller back on the field before the Broncos’ season was finished. Since Miller underwent surgery on Sept. 11, if he was, in fact, only out for three months, he would return for Denver’s final four games — beginning on Dec. 13 against the Carolina Panthers.
In an interview with 104.3 The Fan on Oct. 7, Miller stated he would return and play this season if he was medically cleared, regardless of the Broncos’ record.
Currently on the injured reserve, the Broncos’ all-time sack leader could be activated off the I.R. at any point since he has already missed the required three games.
Of course, Miller “still couldn’t do anything” in Thursday’s practice, according to Fangio. But that doesn’t change the fact that Von took a positive and potentially ahead-of-schedule step on Thursday.
