The Broncos had a unique twist to their unofficial depth chart ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Seahawks.
Denver had a pair of practice squad players appear on the depth chart, as fullback Michael Burton was listed with the starters and Lil’Jordan Humphrey was listed as a second-string wide receiver behind Courtland Sutton.
Broncos coach Sean Payton said after practice Friday that both players will have an impact this season, but he didn’t comment on whether they will be elevated for the season opener in Seattle.
“Those two guys have been with us,” Payton said. “I don’t know that there’s any rule whether we can put practice squad players on, but they’ll be important to our team and throughout the year.”
Burton and Humphrey played in all 17 games last season. Humphrey, who bounced back and forth between the practice squad and the active roster, recorded 162 receiving yards and three touchdowns while making eight starting appearances.
Burton, in his 10th season in the league, was featured in Denver’s 21 personnel (two running backs, two wide receivers and a tight end) looks and used quite a bit on special teams. Humphrey and Burton were released by the team during the roster cutdown deadline, but immediately brought back to the practice squad.
Even though Payton didn’t want to get into detail on how the roster will look against the Seahawks, it wouldn’t be surprising if both players are active.
Payton on kickoff rule: Thursday’s matchup between the Ravens and Chiefs didn’t serve as a good indicator that the new kickoff rule will result in more plays on special teams. There were a combined nine touchbacks in the NFL Kickoff Game. There were only two kick returns, both coming from the Chiefs.
Payton said he wasn’t surprised by the lack of plays in the kicking game Thursday.
“You’re one of the top teams in the NFL, and here’s a play that if it’s not executed perfectly…(there’s a) risk-reward you’re looking at relative to a big return,” Payton said. “Then sometimes, I think it was the last home game, we had kind of an 8-, 9, 10-mph winds. The perfect kick lands on the goal line. That’s pretty hard. It’s catastrophic if it lands on the 6- or 7- (yard line) and it’s caught on the run into that wall. We’re learning this.”
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