A bummer for the surprise rookie.
According to reports, Denver Broncos undrafted rookie wide receiver Brandon Johnson suffered a high-ankle sprain early in the Broncos’ 23-13 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. He was seen with a boot on his left foot in the locker room after the game.
Brandon Johnson said he has a high (left) ankle sprain. Blocking on run play, first play of game. Rolled up on. Not major but high ankle sprains can be tricky. #9sports
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) August 28, 2022
9NEWS Denver’s Mike Klis notes that Johnson injured his ankle on the very first play of the game while run blocking. He also notes it’s not a major high ankle sprain, which is promising, but they are indeed tricky injuries to recover from.
However, we are 16 days away from week one, so hopefully, that will be enough time for Johnson to recover from this injury. At the very least, this two-week cushion could have Johnson only miss a game or two of regular season action.
It appears Johnson is locked in for a spot on the 53-man roster, so this injury is a bit unfortunate and could derail his momentum a bit. With that said, it doesn’t sound like a major injury that would land him on the injured reserve, but we shall see what the Broncos decide to do with him in the coming days.
Johnson played his college ball at UCF and signed as an undrafted free agent with the Broncos at the conclusion of the 2022 NFL Draft. He quickly made a name for himself during Broncos training camp and even was earning some first-team reps and making plays while taking those reps. So, he was viewed as a promising rookie who could help replace the injured Tim Patrick who is lost for the season.
Hopefully, this is just a minor setback for Johnson who goes on to have a productive rookie season for the Denver Broncos this year.