Javonte Williams keeps clearing hurdles.
Soon enough, he might just be able to run through one.
The Broncos running back, less than 10 months after tearing his right ACL and sustaining other damage in the joint, told reporters Thursday he’s been cleared for contact when camp officially opens Friday and the team moves toward fully padded work.
He’s looking forward to being able to lower his powerful shoulders again.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “I’m ready.”
The third-year back will have his workload monitored closely over the coming weeks, coach Sean Payton said Wednesday. Williams said whether he plays in the preseason next month is up to Payton and the team’s medical staff, but he thinks he’ll be available.
For now, he’s getting used to running and cutting in football field traffic.
“I feel like the biggest part of all this right now is just mental,” Williams said. “Getting out there, seeing the holes again, running through the o-line and d-line. Itap a huge confidence boost.”
Doctors originally told him after the injury that he could be looking at a recovery timetable of 12 months or longer. But as he progressed through the early stages of rehabbing, his first signs of feeling like he could beat that timeline came, appropriately, thanks to a speedometer telling him he was moving quickly.
“When I started hitting my speeds on the GPS and seeing how fast I was running, I started to think, ‘Oh, I might be able to get back a little earlier,’” he said. “Then just hitting my numbers in the weight room, hitting my maxes, I was thinking it was stronger than I think it is.”
McGlinchey out Thursday. Denver right tackle Mike McGlinchey was not present at practice Thursday for what the team said was a “personal” matter.
McGlinchey was in attendance Wednesday. He signed a five-year deal worth up to $87.5 million in March. He and receiver KJ Hamler, who is on the non-football injury list as he recovers from a torn pectoral muscle, were the only Broncos not accounted for in the second ramp-up practice.
