A Lisfranc injury ended the season of Broncos nose tackle Mike Purcell after only six games. He underwent surgery on a torn ligament between his first and second metatarsal.
He needs another surgery in about a month to have screws removed from the foot, with a 6-8 week recovery process after that.
“In all my years that I’ve played, I haven’t had a big injury like this,” Purcell told Aric DiLalla of the team website. “I’ve had little nicks and bangs here and there, but to go on IR really hurt. It wasn’t fun at all. I wouldn’t say I let my team down, but in a sense that’s the way it felt. I’d do anything to be out there on that field with them. “
Purcell made 15 tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss and a quarterback hit in six games last season. The Broncos missed him after he went on injured reserve.
Purcell expects to be back in time for training camp and fully healthy by the start of the season.
“I can’t wait,” Purcell said of his return. “I was jumping around the whole last part of the season when I was out. I was on the same scooter Von [Miller] was on for a while [during his rehab], but when I got back into the boot and I was able to walk, I was joking around with the equipment staff, going in there and telling Flip [Equipment Manager Chris Valenti], ‘Put some cleats on the bottom of this boot, I’m ready to play.’
“I can’t wait to get back out there. It was rough watching the rest of the season without being able to be there. I just wanted to help anyway I could to help the team win. No matter how this offseason goes and whether we have a program, we’ll see. We’re just looking forward to getting back on the field with my fellas and just playing football.”