Broncos linebacker Drew Sanders carted off practice field with right leg injury

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Third-year linebacker Drew Sanders was carted off the Denver Broncos’ football fields Saturday after injuring his right leg during drills.

Sanders began hopping around right after the play and then went to the ground in pain. Team medical personnel looked at his right foot and ankle before putting him on a cart and taking him inside team headquarters for an MRI.

The injury happened with about 15 minutes left in practice and coach Sean Payton said afterward that he had no update other than to say it wasn’t another Achilles tendon injury like the one Sanders sustained in the 2024 offseason.

Sanders played in all 17 games as a rookie but missed much of last season after tearing his Achilles tendon in May 2024. He returned in November and played in four games, making eight tackles.

Sanders has bounced back and forth between inside and outside linebacker ever since the Broncos selected him in the third round out of Arkansas in the 2023 draft.

He’s a key backup with Alex Singleton returning from an ACL tear in Week 3 last year and free agent addition Dre Greenlaw returning from a strained thigh this spring and a torn Achilles tendon he suffered in the Super Bowl after the 2023 season, which limited him to two games with the San Francisco 49ers last season.

Also Saturday, right tackle Mike McGlinchey missed his third consecutive practice. He watched practice with a sleeve on his right leg.

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