Report: Broncos LB Drew Sanders suffered a tendon injury and is expected to miss the start of the season

Broncos will be without Drew Sanders to start the season.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Denver Broncos linebacker Drew Sanders suffered a tendon injury and is expected to miss the start of the season. He states that further testing will need to be done to determine the extent of his injury.

Sanders, who was carted off the practice field on Saturday, was fighting for a spot on the Broncos roster, but now will likely start the season on the injured reserve.

This is a major blow to Sanders, who missed the majority of last season due to an achilles injury. He worked his way back from that injury and was on the field for the final few games of last season. Sanders made it through the offseason without any setbacks and was even a standout player during these first few training camp practices, but now he’s dealing with this injury.

The Broncos’ linebacker room was already a question mark with Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton coming off major injuries. Losing Sanders for an extended period of time is a blow to their depth at that position. On the other hand, it does give the Broncos’ linebackers lower on the depth chart an opportunity to make the team. Second-year linebacker Levelle Bailey has been having a strong start to camp and could benefit from Sanders’ unfortunate injury if he is sidelined for an extended period of time.

Like with most injuries, the Broncos will be looking for the next man up at the linebacker position. Second-year linebacker Levelle Bailey seems like a strong candidate to make the team now, but UDFA’s Karene Reid, JB Brown, and Jordan Turner will be pushing him for a roster spot. We’ll see how it shakes out and will be something to watch over the next days and weeks ahead.