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Jeff Legwold
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos linebacker Drew Sanders, who missed all but five games last season, was carted off the practice field Saturday with a right ankle/foot injury.
In team drills about 90 minutes into the workout, Sanders finished a play hopping on one leg, as he attempted to keep his weight off his right leg. The Broncos’ medical staff examined Sanders’ right ankle and then right foot on the sideline before the third-year linebacker was helped onto a cart and taken to the locker room.
Sanders, who suffered a torn Achilles tendon in preseason workouts last year, was later taken for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam.
After practice, Broncos coach Sean Payton said he had no update on the severity of Sanders’ injury but added “it’s not his Achilles.”
The Achilles injury limited Sanders, who was a third-round pick by the Broncos in the 2023 draft, to the last four games of the regular season in 2024 as well as the playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round. Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has consistently lauded Sanders’ athleticism and said during the offseason he was optimistic about the impact Sanders could have as a situational player at inside linebacker as well as a pass rusher.
Sanders has spent the early part of camp as a backup at inside linebacker as Alex Singleton is returning from an ACL tear in Week 3 last year, and free agent signee Dre Greenlaw had missed the on-field work in the Broncos’ offseason program with a thigh injury.
Also Saturday, right tackle Mike McGlinchey missed his third consecutive practice. He was on the field Saturday, viewing drills as he wore a sleeve on his right leg.