Brandon Marshall, Danny Trevathan get each other through injury rehab, underscoring on-field chemistry

A pea-sized white dot on the top of his left foot offers Brandon Marshall a reminder of the frustrating and painful journey.

Lodged in that foot are two screws that were inserted last March to repair a Lisfranc injury that cost him two games in 2014 and months of pain after the season.

The loneliness that came with months spent in a training room to rehabilitate was exacerbated only by the unanswerable questions: Would he recover in time for the 2015 opener? Would he ever be the same player? What about his future?

But Marshall was never really alone. Those same questions were shared by the guy who stood alongside him on the field this past season.

Draped over Danny Trevathan’s left knee was a fresh two-inch scar, his reminder of the three separate leg injuries he endured in 2014 that kept him out of all but three games.

The Broncos’ starting inside linebackers, both of whom are playing on expiring contracts, recovered from different but major surgeries together to excel this season. Both players, overlooked or cast aside early in their careers, returned to become the first Broncos tandem since 2009 to each have 100 or more tackles. And, they were invaluable cogs in Wade Phillips’ 3-4 scheme, quietly but consistently guiding a defense that finished the season as the best in the league in multiple categories and as one of the finest in team history.

Screwed ligaments

On the morning of Sept. 13, 2015, Marshall pulled up to Sports Authority Field eager for a fresh start. The balky ligaments in his foot were screwed in place and weren’t about to keep him out of the Broncos’ season opener against Baltimore.

But, as Marshall walked through the tunnel of the stadium, a sharp pain pierced his foot and refused to dissipate. During the preseason, Marshall believes, one of the screws broke that led to discomfort but no further damage to the foot. He plans to have both screws removed at the season’s end.

“The whole game I was in pain,” he recalled. “And I’m thinking like, ‘Why, God? ”

In the Broncos’ first two games of the season, both wins, Trevathan and Marshall ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, in tackles. Marshall forced a fumble in the final seconds of the Sept. 17 victory at Kansas City that led to the game-winning scoop-andscore by cornerback Bradley Roby.

But it wasn’t until around the third week of the season that Marshall’s pain began to lessen.

“I kind of didn’t know if I would make it through,” he said. “It hurt running on it, you know what I mean? I’m just glad that it subsided and everything is good.”

In Game 3 at Detroit, Marshall made a season-high 12 tackles, a number that would later be exceeded by Trevathan, who had a career-high 19 in a loss at Indianapolis on Nov. 8.

Trevathan was spared the season-opening aches that Marshall experienced. But Trevathan, a player selected late (No. 188) in the 2012 draft, already had done his time.

In a timeline no player wants to live out, Trevathan suffered three different injuries to his left knee area in 2014, two fractures and a dislocated kneecap. He was placed on injured reserve Dec. 16 and underwent reconstructive surgery a few weeks later.

His season ended long before the Broncos’ did. His offseason also began long before the rest of his teammates.

Each day during the offseason, Trevathan and Marshall could be found in the training and weight rooms of the Broncos’ practice facility, slowly, painfully working their way back to full strength.

“Rehab is a boring, monotonous, hard process to go through,” said Steve Antonopulos, the Broncos’ head athletic trainer. “They made it fun for each other. They worked hard. They challenged each other. When one guy was late, the other guy got on him and vice versa. It made it a fun experience, which it is not a fun thing to go through.”

Throughout organized team activities and training camp, the recoveries of Trevathan and Marshall failed to follow predictable timelines. The only certainties: accompanying pain and inflammation.

“I got to be with him when he was hurting, crying and screaming because you have to go through that treatment,” Trevathan said. “Seeing him fight through stuff like that, it made me respect him even more. When you have respect and have the attitude that we both could be Inside linebackers Brandon Marshall (foot) and Danny Trevathan (knee) both returned from major offseason surgeries to lead the Broncos’ defense in tackles. A snapshot of their return to form in 2015: Stats: 101 tackles (76 solo), 1.5 sacks, 1 interception, 4 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles Lisfranc surgery in March 2015 Ed Block Courage Award co-winner Darrent Williams Good Guy Award winner one of the elite in the NFL, great things happen.”

The company during rehabilitation offered comfort, and created an on-field chemistry that proved vital.

“We would be on the sidelines in OTAs and training camp, and we’d talk about this: OK, we’ll do this when we’re in,’ you know what I mean, or ‘We could do this,’ ” Marshall said. “A lot of times, even now, we don’t even have to say anything. If we’re working together, we know a certain look and we don’t have to say anything. We just know and it just happens.”

It also sparked a friendly competition.

Shared honor

On the afternoon of Jan. 3, Trevathan cemented his place atop the Broncos’ leaderboard. Marshall was limited to only three snaps in his final game of the season, against the Chargers, because of another left foot injury, this time a high-ankle sprain. Trevathan continued in his partner’s absence, recording nine total tackles in the victory to give him a teamhigh 110. Marshall finished a close second, with 101.

“I kind of came to terms with it and I was like, ‘You know what? I’m proud of Danny.’ I’m happy for everything that he overcame,” said Marshall. “For him to come back and have a great year, lead the team in tackles and all that, I was proud of him. I got him a gift because Danny is a great person.”

Awaiting Trevathan was a personalized bottle of Jim Beam bourbon whiskey with the inscription: Danny T. / 2015 / Broncos / Leading Tackler / The Lion / “110.”

The gift, and the ranking, were Trevathan’s alone.

But a shared honor soon followed. On Jan. 9, the two were selected by their teammates as the Broncos’ Ed Block Courage Award co-winners for “exceptional courage, great character and inspiring effort.” Never before had two players shared the award.

“That goes to show that this defense came a long way and Brandon and I came a long way,” Trevathan said. “I think the Jaguars missed it really big when they let him go. I’m glad to have him here. That’s my brother. We’re going to finish out this year correctly.” Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or @NickiJhabvala Stats: 110 total tackles (74 solo), 2 interceptions (one returned for TD), 6 passes defensed Recorded career-high 19 tackles at Indianapolis Reconstructive knee surgery January 2015 Ed Block Courage Award co-winner