Report: Broncos running back C.J. Anderson tears meniscus in right knee; likely done for the year

UPDATE (12:43 PM MTN):

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To say there was mass confusion around C.J. Anderson and his knee is an understatement.

First came the reports that the Denver Broncos running back was done for the season, followed by Anderson tweeting the Ian Rapoport report was “false.” Anderson went on to tweet that the disrespect “for a damn story is unbelievable.” Those Anderson tweets have since been deleted. That was followed by the NFL sending out a story that Anderson was done for the season, followed by local reporters saying such news was “premature.”

There was a point in the midst of the reports and non-reports that no one seemed to know what the hell was going on. It was hysteria and panic in Broncos Country.

That initial report by Rapoport now appears accurate. Mike Klis tweeted that Anderson is undergoing surgery on Thursday to repair a torn meniscus and is, likely, headed to IR. How long he’s there depends on the severity of the injury but the decision to go this route and length of rehab will end his season, as the tweet from Jene Bramel says below. The initial diagnosis was a bone bruise that occurred in the first quarter of Monday’s game against the Houston Texans.

There was hope in the organization that Anderson’s injury wasn’t season-ending but that’s not the case for Denver. What makes this news more crushing is how well Anderson and the Broncos offense looked in Monday’s game. Anderson finished with 107 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. The offense finally clicked and looked the best it has all season.

As is the case in the NFL, “it’s next man up.” As we speak that’s rookie Devontae Booker. He just had his best game of the season as well and seemed to spark the offense at the end of the first and start of the second quarter with his bruising, physical running style. Booker totaled 17 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown.

Denver’s offense will need more of what Booker produced on Monday for the rest of the season ... and then some. Is Booker up to the task of being the Broncos’ No. 1 running back? That question could determine how the rest of the season unfolds.

As for the No. 2 back, the thought is Kapri Bibbs will get the initial crack at it. He looked fabulous over the course of training camp and preseason for Denver. The hope/expectation is Bibbs carries that over. Still, there are questions galore as the team heads into Week 8.

The first test for the Broncos comes Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. Hopefully by then the mass confusion ceases and Booker responds in emphatic fashion.