Like any cutthroat business, the NFL can force contradiction upon a relationship.
Nate Jackson and Tony Scheffler are Broncos teammates and friends. Jackson did not break into a touchdown dance when he learned Scheffler would miss substantial offseason practice with a recurring left foot injury.
But the coldhearted truth is Scheffler’s injury presents Jackson with a greater opportunity to play.
Scheffler and Jackson play the same position of “small,” or “receiving” tight end. Scheffler is the starter; Jackson is the backup. So with Scheffler down, Jackson, who has just 16 catches in his five NFL seasons, could finally get a chance to display his receiving skills.
“Yeah, but I would prefer him to be happy,” Jackson said. “I would prefer the competition part with us feeding off each other. That’s not a good thing for anybody. We want to be at our strongest as a team.
“Ideally, you would utilize all the talents for every guy. We have a lot of great skill players. We all want the ball. That’s what makes me happy as a football player is catching the football.”
It was early in last year’s passing camp when Scheffler fractured the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot while running a passing route. He underwent surgery to repair the break and finished last season with 49 receptions and five touchdowns.
That Scheffler has aggravated the injury a year later, however, is testament to the delicate nature of foot bones. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said Scheffler would be in a boot for two weeks, after which he will be re-evaluated. The hope is for Scheffler at that point to be cleared to resume conditioning and return to the practice field by June 9, which would start the second half of the Broncos’ second offseason camp.
Even if that seems like an optimistic target date for a foot injury that has yet to fully heal a year later, Scheffler’s predicament could have been worse.
“We know there’s not another break in there,” Shanahan said. “After a couple weeks in a boot, he’ll come back full speed.”
