When Will Peyton Manning Return for the Denver Broncos?

The Denver Broncos have had to move forward without their future Hall of Fame quarterback commanding the team. Peyton Manning was knocked out of action against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10, and the Broncos have started Brock Osweiler over the last two games.

The team has responded well to Osweiler at quarterback, and the Broncos have won back-to-back games after dropping each of the last two starts by Manning. While Manning has played banged up over the course of the year and thrown 17 interceptions, Osweiler has been careful with the ball. He has one interception in two games, and that only happened due to a deflected pass.

On Sunday night, the Broncos took down the formerly unbeaten New England Patriots. Osweiler and company fell behind by 14 points, but a 17-point fourth quarter with Osweiler leading the way helped force the game into overtime. In the extra period, it was an audible by Osweiler that led to the game-winning 48-yard touchdown run by C.J. Anderson.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak understands there are complications when an injured veteran star quarterback is replaced by a young passer who is playing well. He chooses to handle the situation in the only way he knows how.

“I listen, I guess. I listen to a lot of people. The No. 1 guy I'm talking to on a regular basis is Peyton. That's the most important thing because it's about his health and getting him back ready to go.”

Kubiak gave more insight on Manning. “He's been great. I think his frame of mind is really good because I think he has a good feeling now of this is what I needed to do. He understands the steps that he needs to go through.”

The veteran coach isn’t the only one who has been talking and listening to Manning.

“[Executive Vice President of Football Operations/GM] John [Elway] and I sat down with him yesterday and had a great visit with him before the game. I think his frame of mind is really good. We just need to stay positive day-to-day, but he did a great job with Brock [on Sunday].”

When will Manning return for the Broncos? Let’s take a look at his current timeline to see when that could be a possibility.

State of Recovery

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Right now, Manning is still in a cast. We could see him out of the cast in the near future, and then he’ll continue to the next step in the recovery process.

Kubiak discussed Manning's cast at his Monday press conference.

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The biggest question this week is really going to be about when the cast comes off. Does it come off early this week, or does it come off at the end of the week? The progress has been good.” Kubiak continued, “The next step when he comes out of it is to get back into the rehab process into the field. We'll just take it a day at a time right now. I think the big question this week will be when it comes off.

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Manning may want to get back as soon as possible, but at 39 years old, the team is going to be extra cautious with its superstar quarterback. A foot injury like this requires proper time to heal, and the Broncos don’t want to rush Manning back and aggravate it.

It’s basically a hurry-up-and-wait game for Manning and the Broncos right now. Once his cast is off, then we’ll have a better idea about how far away he is from returning to the field.

Dr. Jene Bramel’s Opinion

When considering recovery times in the NFL, I always check in with Dr. Jene Bramel from Footballguys.com. He’s one of the premier injury experts in the country, and Dr. Bramel also knows the game of football well. Bramel has been monitoring this Manning situation closely as news of his recovery continues to surface.

Here’s what Bramel had to say about Manning’s return:

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A plantar fascia tear can be a tricky injury. Oftentimes, tearing the ligament completely means a quicker—though not immediate—healing process. It's not uncommon for athletes to need boot immobilization for plantar fascia injuries. But the suggestion Manning can return one-to-two weeks after shedding the boot is unlikely.

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Bramel continued, “He'll need time to rehab and recondition after the boot is removed. That's likely a two-to-four week process. The Week 15 return estimate is possible, but Manning will need to be out of the boot this week and have a smooth rehab to follow.”

A smooth rehab after the cast comes off is not a guarantee. Even a minor setback can dramatically alter the timetable of his possible return.

Kubiak knows they’ll follow standard procedure once Manning’s cast is off.

“I know he's not going to come out of the cast and go straight to the field. It's going to be out of the cast, some rehab, so there is a process there to go through.”

Osweiler Shines in Manning’s Absence

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

Over the last two games, Osweiler has done a fine job as the team’s starter. During that time, Osweiler ranks 11th in the NFL with 520 passing yards. His 62.3 percent completion rating is above the league average (61.3 percent), and his 7.54 yards per attempt is also above the league average (7.25 yards) over the last two weeks.

Osweiler has run the offense true to design during his time as the starter. He’s been sacked eight times in the last two weeks, but he does not struggle under pressure. Instead, Osweiler is cool under fire and tries to get the ball into the hands of his multiple playmakers.

Kubiak has been impressed in his young passer.

“I think the No. 1 thing that's impressed me is I think he understands exactly what he needs to do for the team to be successful. What I mean by that—sometimes guys will get put in situations and they'll try to do too much. I think he understands he's on a good football team.”

Kubiak explained:

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If he'll just do his job, handle the ball well, handle the team well, then our football team will have a chance to be successful. I'm really impressed with how he's approached that. He's very comfortable in his preparation, his work and obviously he's confident in his abilities. I really think just understanding the situation he's in and handling it might by the No. 1 thing.

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If Osweiler struggles, then going back to Manning seems like a no-brainer as long as he’s recovered. However, if Osweiler continues to play well, then the Broncos may want to stick with the player who has helped energize this team.

Summary

There’s a chance Manning could be ready sometime around the last week or two of the regular season. That, perhaps, is an overly positive outlook for a player with a delicate road to recovery ahead of him.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen (h/t Kevin Seifert, @SeifertESPN November 30, 2015) reports on Manning's status: "Per @mortreport, Peyton Manning not expected to be healthy "anytime soon.” Maybe a month from a real Manning-Osweiler decision."

So Manning’s injury is still a few weeks away from a possible return to the field by most accounts. The Broncos are keeping their options open, even though Osweiler has been playing well. They will have an interesting decision to make if he continues his high-level play and if the team keeps winning with him under center.

Would Manning accept the role of a backup entering the postseason? Would the Broncos make a potentially disruptive move to get the veteran star back into the lineup? How would Osweiler respond to going back to the bench after performing well and leading the team to big wins?

These questions don’t need to be answered now—but they will eventually need to be answered.

When will Manning return for the Broncos? Perhaps he will return too late to get his job back.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.