ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — There is an easy cure for the Broncos’ special teams problems in covering kicks.
Just have Brandon McManus boot ‘em out of the end zone.
But that’s not the point. Broncos’ head coach Vic Fangio is telling McManus to keep his kickoffs in play. That way the coaches can evaluate the good players from the bad.
Maybe that way, the Broncos can find the next Chris Harris Jr.
"I guess the kids don't really understand this is how you make the team," Harris said with a laugh. "It's a 53-man roster. This is how you make the team, on special teams. They might have to pull out my old clips, my old highlights from special teams my rookie year. Kind of show them how I was and then they can see. Then later on in their career they might be able to play on offense or defense."
The real problem is some of the special team players might have to play offense or defense. The Broncos are now concerned inside linebacker Todd Davis may not make it to the season opener against the Oakland Raiders. Ask the Golden State Warriors and Kevin Durant how easily those calf injuries heal.
The more backups like A.J. Johnson or Josh Watson fill in for Davis on defense, the less they can play on special teams.
"Obviously No. 1 we’ve got to get the guys that have been out there doing it better," Fangio said. "And if need be we’ll have to put some starters out there."
Oh boy. What we’ve seen of these 2019 Broncos: Their starters look pretty good if they stay healthy. But depth seems to be an issue.
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