Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson spoke publicly Thursday for the first time since having a shoulder injection last week.
Wilson sounded pretty upbeat when asked about it.
“Shoulder’s feeling better, getting better every day,” Wilson said before practice, via ESPN.com.
Wilson added that he hasn’t “had this particular thing before, but I'll be OK. I'll be ready.''
The veteran QB was limited in Thursday's practice.
On Friday, Wilson underwent a procedure near his throwing shoulder aimed at relieving some discomfort he’s experienced in that area. Although, Wilson’s injury is not expected to keep him out of Monday’s game against the Chargers, it’s similar in nature to one that kept Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott sidelined for much of training camp in 2021, according to a report from NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
The specific injury has been deemed a strained latissimus dorsi, which is more commonly found in baseball pitchers. The surgery came one day after Wilson and the Broncos' overtime loss in Week 5 versus the Colts, which dropped Denver’s record to 2-3.
The Broncos rank 18th in total yards and 19th in passing yards, but 31st in scoring at 15.0 points per game. They’ve generated some big pass plays, but the team is dead last in red-zone conversions at 21.43%.
At this rate, Wilson’s 59.4% completion mark would be the lowest of his career, and he’s already been sacked 16 times in five games (after taking 33 sacks in 14 starts with Seattle a year ago).
Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett appears pleased with Wilson’s recovery.
“He definitely looks good,” Hackett said. “Russ has played in the league for a long time, and all players have different things they have to deal with ... I think you’re always dealing with that stuff across the board. I think he’s doing an amazing job getting himself to 100%.”
Wilson said he’s up for the challenge despite the quick turnaround.
“I’ve (come back from injury) before and I’ll do it again,” Wilson said. “I can handle it, I'm built for it. I’m built for the good times and the tough times. ...It’s never supposed to be easy.”