Nearly two years later, Billy Winn can still recall the sounds and sensations of the knee injury he sustained in the Broncos’ preseason opener at Chicago.
“I felt all three pops,” he said. “It was one of those moments where it’s, ‘Oh, (bleep).’ I just knew something wasn’t right.”
Winn tore his meniscus cartilage and ACL and MCL that night.
In 2016, Winn played all 16 games as a rotational defensive end for the Broncos and re-signed via one-year contract. He could have been on his way to carving out a niche after stints with Cleveland and Indianapolis, but the injury derailed everything.