Demaryius Thomas said one of the most difficult parts of the offseason was not being able to workout with his quarterback Peyton Manning.
Thomas was a , which he attended the last three years. Receiver Emmanuel Sanders wasted little time shaking up the social media world in April when he used Photoshop to add Thomas in a post-workout photo.
At duke working out with PM, and 
” src=”http://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/72×72/1f633.png”>” src=”http://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/72×72/1f633.png”>!! Lol
— Emmanuel Sanders (@ESanders_10)
Thomas chose to rehab his lingering left ankle injury, but he wavered back and forth with the decision.
“That was real tough actually. At the time, my ankle was still bothering me. But also I wanted to go down and see what the new routes were and be with Peyton,” Thomas said. “I got so much love for Peyton.
“For me, I feel like I’m a little step behind.”
Thomas doesn’t lack chemistry with Manning, but with Broncos coach Gary Kubiak implementing a new system, Thomas said he would have loved to work out any kinks early on.
Instead Thomas spent the offseason training in Atlanta with Broncos receiver Andre Caldwell, Packers safety Morgan Burnett and Texans receiver
DeAndre Hopkins prior to signing a new contract Wednesday.
“I was running a lot out in Atlanta, sometimes two-a-days. More cardio than usual. I did some plyometrics,” he said.
Thomas was frustrated with a slow start last season and said offseason film study revealed there were several games were he took a couple plays off.
He focused on getting in better shape and said he’s a tad lighter, at 222 pounds. He said he’s “a little faster” and can’t wait to get back out on the field with Manning.
