Broncos: J.D. Walton out until mid-October

The Denver Broncos are optimistic center J.D. Walton will only be out until mid-October, according to a tweet the team released today. That's a much better timeline than the entire 2013 season originally reported as a possibility by the Denver Post earlier today.

Center J.D. Walton underwent an additional procedure on his injured left ankle this week. He is expected to be out until mid-October.

— Denver Broncos (@DenverBroncos) June 19, 2013

Note that this new timeline, that would end roughly six weeks into the 2013 season, makes Walton a prime candidate for the team's PUP list.

Is that outlook too optimistic? It's hard to say whether Walton would be ready to play immediately following his recovery. He's been out since Week 4 of last year.

Still, with this smaller recovery timeframe, it makes us wonder if the Broncos will pursue Dan Koppen (which we think they should), or whether they are prepared to approach Walton's absence with an in-house replacement. Stay tuned.