When Eric Decker planted his left foot in an October game in Columbus, Ohio, on a pass route he knew in his sleep, he felt the pop. That tick on the clock filled the weeks and months that followed with pain, a dash of doubt, plenty of worry and a boatload of work.
"When I did it, when they told me my season was over, you have those thoughts about it being over," Decker said. "I mean, you're nonweight-bearing for six weeks, I had the second surgery, I was like 'When am I going to be healthy?' "
Decker, who was a third-round pick by the Broncos in this past April's draft, got his answer Wednesday. He was healthy enough to practice in his first workout with the team as training camp opened.
Decker had two surgeries to repair a Lisfranc injury — a tear of ligaments in the foot — as he worked through the rehab.
"I think I was probably more emotional than afraid of the future," Decker said. "My senior year, to not close it out with the guys I had been with, it was very sad. I went through some why-me too, had some of those thoughts.
"But then I was just determined to get back, that was my purpose."
The Broncos got similar profiles when they added Decker and first-round pick Demaryius Thomas. Both are big, physical receivers. Decker is 6-foot-2, 215 pounds while Thomas is 6-3, 229 pounds.
Both scored well on the Wonderlic test at the scouting combine, a timed, 50-question test many businesses use to measure cognitive thinking. Decker scored a 43, the best of any prospect at this year's combine, while Thomas scored a 34, second to only Decker among the wide receivers at the event. Thomas still is unsigned. Decker was one of four wide receivers taking part in this early start to training camp for rookies and players coming off injuries.
"(Decker is) a talented player," McDaniels said. "He's got really solid hands, he's a big guy, runs good routes. Really, the test for Eric is he's going to get in there with a lot of other players who have played in these spots, and we're going to see how competitive he can be moving around, playing different spots.
"(Wednesday) was a good day for Deck because he got to get out there and run, catch.
"It wasn't the training he was doing all spring. It was football."
Decker played for former Broncos tight ends coach Tim Brewster in his final three seasons with the Gophers. Asked if Brewster had offered him any insights into making the transition from college to pro football, Decker said simply: "Work. He's a work dog. That was his message. Get to work, stay at work. So, that's been my approach and will be my approach."
