Tag: Andy Janovich

Browns trade future draft pick for Broncos FB Andy Janovich

Janovich is signed for 3 more years and is an excellent lead blocker and special teams player

In the midst of the free agency frenzy, the Cleveland Browns acquired a player the old fashioned way. They made a trade.

The Browns will send a 7th-round pick in 2021 to the Denver Broncos in exchange for fullback Andy Janovich. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver was the first to report the trade.

Janovich instantly moves to the first-team line at fullback, a position that the Browns didn’t have much use for under ex-head coach Freddie Kitchens. It is a position of greater importance under new head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Janovich, 26, has played his entire 4-year career with the Broncos. He was a 6th-round pick in 2016 out of Nebraska. He’s known as a very good lead blocker in the run game. Janovich has 22 receptions and 13 carries in four years.

Broncos Wire editor Jon Heath had this to say about Janovich,

He was a reliable fullback and an excellent special teams player for Denver but was made expendable by the emergence of Andrew Beck in the team’s new offensive scheme.

He has three seasons left on his contract at between $1.1 and $1.5 million per year in salary.

Broncos agree to trade FB Andy Janovich to Browns for 7th-round pick

The Broncos have agreed to trade fullback Andy Janovich to the Browns in exchange for a late-round pick.

The Denver Broncos have agreed to trade fullback Andy Janovich to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick in 2021, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Janovich (6-1, 238 pounds) entered the league as a sixth-round pick out of Nebraska in 2016. He was a reliable fullback and an excellent special teams player for Denver but was made expendable by the emergence of Andrew Beck the team’s new offensive scheme.

Broncos new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur does not use a traditional fullback in his offense and when he needs one, Beck will be able to fill the role. After Janovich went down with an elbow injury last season, Beck stepped up and was a serviceable replacement.

Before the trade, Janovich was scheduled to have a salary cap hit of $1,581,250 in 2020. Beck will have a cap hit of $675,000.

In four years with Denver, Janovich rushed 13 times for 51 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught 22 passes for 233 yards and a score.

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Broncos 2019 positional grades: Running back

The Denver Broncos ranked 20th in the league in rushing in 2019. How did the team’s running backs perform?

The Denver Broncos wanted to be a run-first offense in 2019, but the team ranked 20th in the league in rushing, averaging just under 104 yards per game on the ground as a team.

The Broncos used a two-headed running back system with Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman but the backfield was hampered when fullback Andy Janovich went down with a season-ending injury.

Trailing often in games and just not being able to run the ball they wanted to in a system ran by recently-fired offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello helped contribute to Denver being in the bottom half of the league’s rushing teams.

Here, we will grade each running back on the team based on their 2019 performance.

Phillip Lindsay

(AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Stats: 224 carries, 1,011 yards, 4.5 yards per carry, 7 touchdowns, 35 receptions, 196 yards

Lindsay ran the ball effectively but the coaching staff didn’t seem to trust him as much as it possibly should have.

Though Lindsay became the first undrafted running back in NFL history to go over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, he only went over 100 yards rushing in two games and was only given more than 15 carries in eight games.

Still, Lindsay’s grade can’t come down because he wasn’t on the field. The coaching staff seemed insistent on a full split in the backfield and that is evident when you look at the snap counts.

Lindsay was on the field for 513 offensive snaps while 506 went to Freeman.

Lindsay was a little bit better as a rookie but had a solid follow-up season and while he may never be viewed as the kind of guy who can be a lead back due to his small stature, he’s one of the most important pieces on offense.

Grade: B+

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Andrew Beck made Broncos history against Lions

Broncos fullback/tight end Andrew Beck had a huge game on Sunday, even if the box score doesn’t reflect that.

Broncos fullback/tight end Andrew Beck doesn’t get much glory. He plays a thankless position that’s often overlooked by fans.

Against the Lions on Sunday, though, it was hard to miss No. 83’s contributions in a 27-17 win. Beck delivered key blocks on two touchdown runs, made a tackle on special teams, rushed for a first down, caught a pass and — get this — threw a pass!

Facing a 4th-and-1 near midfield, Denver decided to go for it and they ran an option with Beck. It might have been intended to be a lateral but Beck ended up tossing the ball forward for what the NFL considered a six-yard pass.

Beck became the second Broncos player in the last 11 years to complete a pass, catch a pass and run the ball in the same game, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Denver wide receiver Courtland Sutton accomplished the same feat against the Vikings last season.

Beck was initially serving as a fill-in for an injured Andy Janovich, the team’s starting fullback. After playing so well, though, Beck will probably be brought back in 2020 to serve as a tight end and backup fullback.

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Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay ready to work with a fill-in fullback

With Andy Janovich on injured reserve, Andrew Beck will serve as a fill-in fullback, leading the way for Phillip Lindsay.

The Broncos have lost starting fullback Andy Janovich to a season-ending elbow injury, which is bad news for running back Phillip Lindsay. Janovich excelled at opening up holes for Lindsay and Denver’s other running backs.

“First off, it does suck to have Jano not going to play,” Lindsay said of the fullback’s injury Wednesday. “He’s been putting his heart and soul into this. To have an injury like that happen, it sucks for anybody, but he’s taking it well. For me, it hurts for me because that’s my dude.

“We have a connection and he’s made a lot of holes for me in the two years we’ve played together so far. At the end of the day, we have a couple other great fullbacks and we’re going to continue to roll. That’s how it goes.”

Andrew Beck will fill in for Janovich in the final six games of the season.

“Beck, he’s smart and he’s capable of it,” Lindsay said. “He understands the playbook now. When he first got here, he was just coming in. Now he understands it. I think having people understand the playbook is going to be a lot easier for us to make things happen still.”

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Broncos will place FB Andy Janovich on injured reserve

The Broncos will place fullback Andy Janovich (elbow) on injured reserve, ending his season.

Broncos fullback Andy Janovich dislocated his right elbow during Sunday’s 27-23 loss to the Vikings. Janovich will be placed on season-ending injured reserve, coach Vic Fangio announced Monday.

After placing Janovich on injured reserve, the team will have an open spot on the 53-man roster.

It’s a disappointing end to the season for Janovich, who helped Denver build a 20-0 halftime lead in Minnesota before later exiting the game. The 6-1, 238-pound fullback has scored in each of his first four years in the NFL, including a one-yard touchdown run on Sunday.

Used primarily as a blocker on offense and as a special teams contributor, Janovich has totaled 284 yards from scrimmage and has scored four touchdowns since being selected by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft out of Nebraska.

Janovich missed Denver’s first three games of the season with a shoulder injury. Tight end/fullback Andrew Beck filled in for Janovich at the beginning of the year and he will likely have an increased role in the team’s final six games of the season.

After returning from his shoulder injury in October, Janovich signed a three-year, $5.7 million contract extension, making him the NFL’s third-highest paid fullback. He’s now under contract through the 2022 season.

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Broncos FB Andy Janovich (elbow) won’t return against Vikings

Broncos fullback Andy Janovich injured his elbow during Sunday’s game against the Vikings.

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Denver Broncos fullback Andy Janovich suffered an elbow injury in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings and will not return, the team announced.

David J. Chao, a former team doctor in the NFL, tweeted that he believes the fullback suffered a dislocated elbow.

Before leaving the game, Janovich scored on a one-yard touchdown run. Andrew Beck is listed as the backup fullback on the depth chart.

Denver leads Minnesota 20-0 at halftime.

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