Tag: Fullback

Cecil Sapp was the best player to wear No. 37 for the Broncos

Cecil Sapp played fullback and running back for the Broncos from 2003-2007, rushing for two touchdowns.

As we continue our series of the best players to wear each jersey number for the Denver Broncos, we’ve reached No. 37. This number is not easy to pick because few players made a big impact in No. 37.

One candidate is Anthony Lynn, who was on the Broncos’ squad that won back-to-back Super Bowls in the late 1990s, but Lynn had just one reception in 1997 and no rushing attempts or catches in 1998. He rushed twice for two yards in 1999 before neck injuries forced him to retire in 2000.

Lynn spent four seasons in Denver, but he only totaled two carries and one reception in 61 games (zero starts).

So we’ve chosen Cecil Sapp as the best Bronco to wear No. 37. Sapp joined the team as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State in 2003 and he went on to play five seasons in Denver.

Sapp rushed 49 times for 223 yards and two touchdowns in 49 games with the Broncos (nine starts), picking up 13 first downs. Sapp split time between fullback and tailback in Mike Shanahan’s offense.

Sapp also totaled 24 receptions for 102 yards and a score. He played the final season of his career with the Houston Texans in 2008 before hanging up his cleats.

Shout out to Sapp, the best player to ever wear No. 37 in Denver.

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Gene Lang was the best player to wear No. 33 for the Broncos

Gene Lang helped the Broncos reach Super Bowls XXI and XXII in the 1980s.

From 1960-2020, only two players ever wore No. 33 for more than three seasons with the Denver Broncos: running back/fullback Gene Lang (1984-1987) and defensive back Jimmy Spencer (2000-2003).

Consequently, it’s tough to pick the best player to ever wear No. 33 in Denver. Spencer recorded six interceptions with the Broncos, but we’re going with Lang, who played two more games (55) in Denver than Spencer (53).

Lang played both as a fullback and as a running back, rushing 210 times for 757 yards and 10 touchdowns with the Broncos. He also hauled in 57 receptions for 439 yards and seven scores.

Lang helped the team reach Super Bowls XXI and XXII in his final two seasons with the club.

After playing four years in Denver, Lang spent the final three years of his career with the Atlanta Falcons. He hung up his cleats following the 1990 season with 2,428 yards from scrimmage and 20 TDs on his resume.

Lang rushed for a touchdown in the team’s 38-36 win over the Los Angeles Raiders in Week 1 of the 1986 season:

Javonte Williams could easily end up on this list in the future, but for now, Lang has five more touchdowns, so he gets the nod for the time being.

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Jon Keyworth was the best player to wear No. 32 for the Broncos

Jon Keyworth helped the Broncos reach their first Super Bowl in 1977. The FB/RB ranks 10th on the team’s all-time rushing list.

Jon Keyworth spent his entire career with the Denver Broncos and he ended up being the best player to ever wear jersey No. 32 in Denver.

Keyworth played running back and wide receiver for the Colorado Buffaloes from 1970-1973, totaling 960 yards from scrimmage and scoring 10 touchdowns in four seasons (43 games).

He was picked by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 1974 NFL draft to play fullback (at a time when fullbacks were more involved on offense). Keyworth went on to play both FB and RB in Denver, rushing 699 times for 2,653 yards and 22 touchdowns during his seven-year career. He also hauled in 141 receptions for 1,057 yards and three more scores.

Keyworth helped the Broncos reached their first Super Bowl in 1977. Keyworth rushed five times for nine yards in Super Bowl XII, a 27-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Keyworth’s 2,653 rushing yards rank 10th on the team’s all-time list and his 22 rushing touchdowns rank ninth. In addition to playing football, Keyworth was also a musician:

Shout out to Jon Keyworth, the best player to wear No. 32 in Denver.

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Howard Griffith was the best player to wear No. 29 for the Broncos

A two-time Super Bowl champion, Howard Griffith (“The Human Plow”) was the best player to ever wear jersey No. 29 for the Broncos.

Everybody loves a good fullback.

After bouncing between three teams from 1991-1992, fullback Howard Griffith had a two-year run with the Los Angeles Rams followed by a two-year stint with the Carolina Panthers. Then he joined the Denver Broncos.

Griffith played in Denver from 1997-2001 before his career was cut short by a neck injury. He was a key blocker for Broncos running back Terrell Davis, who rushed for 2,000 yards and won NFL MVP honors in 1998.

Although he was nicknamed “The Human Plow,” Howard was more than just a blocker. The fullback rushed 35 times for 117 yards and a touchdown and hauled in 68 receptions for 445 yards and six scores in Denver. He won back-to-back Super Bowls with the Broncos in 1997 and 1998, rushing for a touchdown in each postseason run.

Howard retired in 2002 with 1,195 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns on his resume, but he’s known as the best fullback in franchise history thanks to his key blocking for Davis and others.

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Broncos met with TE Ben Sinnott at the Senior Bowl

The Broncos got a close look at Kansas State TE/FB Ben Sinnott at the Senior Bowl. He’s projected to be a mid-round pick.

The Denver Broncos had “extensive talks” with Kansas State draft prospect Ben Sinnott at the Senior Bowl, the tight end revealed during his media availability at the NFL combine in February.

The Broncos got a close look at all of the tight ends at this year’s Senior Bowl because quality control coaches Logan Kilgore (National team) Zack Grossi (American team) were assigned to coach TEs at the all-star game. Sinnott played for Grossi’s squad.

Sinnott (6-4, 250 pounds) is a tight end/fullback hybrid who ran a 40-yard dash in 4.68 seconds and a 10-yard split in 1.59 seconds at the combine. He posted career highs in receptions (49), receiving yards (676) and touchdowns (six) as a senior last fall.

After earning first-team All-Big 12 recognition in 2022 and 2023, Sinnott now projects as a mid-to-late-round prospect. If picked by the Broncos, he would likely get opportunities at both TE and FB, similar to the role that Nate Adkins played last season.

The 2024 NFL draft will be held in Detroit from April 25-27.

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Saints re-sign Adam Prentice for a training camp fullback competition

Big news at the official start of free agency. The Saints re-signed Adam Prentice for a training camp fullback competition:

Here’s some big news at the formal start of free agency. The New Orleans Saints announced they have re-signed fullback Adam Prentice, who is returning for a training camp competition with Zander Horvath — who was recently signed as a veteran respected by members of Klint Kubiak’s new offensive coaching staff.

So it’ll be Prentice versus Horvath over the summer. It makes sense to bring Prentice back so he can compete for his roster spot because he knows the other players inn the locker room well, but he’ll have to prove he can execute the blocking assignments and responsibilities asked off fullbacks in Kubiak’s system. He had a rough year with the Saints last season that included dropped passes and a very unfortunate fumble deep inside New Orleans territory.

Now that the NFL calendar has officially turned over into 2024, the Saints have a number of vulnerabilities to address with their roster. Kubiak wants to run the football often and effectively and improved blocking up front will do a lot to achieve that. His system asks a lot of the fullback so Prentice will need to show a wider set of skills than we’ve seen from him before. It’s just one more subplot to watch in the months ahead.

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Broncos re-sign fullback Mike Burton to 1-year contract

The Broncos are re-signing fullback Mike Burton on a one-year contract.

The Denver Broncos are re-signing in-house free agent Mike Burton to a one-year deal, NFL Network’s Jason McCourty first reported Tuesday. The one-year contract will be worth $1.21 million.

The 32-year-old veteran played 63% of the team’s special teams snaps last season and 18% of the offensive snaps (such is the life of a fullback). Primarily used as a blocker, Burton rushed seven times for nine yards and caught three passes for eight yards, picking up six first downs in 2023.

Burton has spent time with six teams during his nine-year career, including two stints with the New Orleans Saints earlier in his career. The fullback reunited with coach Sean Payton in Denver last March.

Burton ranked No. 1 among ten qualified fullbacks graded by Pro Football Focus last season. PFF gave him an 84.0 grade for pass blocking and a 75.2 grade for run blocking in 2023.

The Broncos have also re-signed safety P.J. Locke, kicker Wil Lutz, linebacker Jonas Griffith, offensive lineman Quinn Bailey and wide receiver Michael Bandy.

We are tracking all of Denver’s free agent moves on Broncos Wire.

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PFF names Broncos FB Michael Burton a 2023 All-Pro

Broncos FB Michael Burton made PFF’s 2023 All-Pro Team after leading all fullbacks with a 67.2 run-blocking grade this season.

Pro Football Focus, the prestigious sports analytic site geared toward college and NFL football, announced their 2023 All-Pro Team last week and Denver Broncos fullback Michael Burton made the list.

Although Burton only carried the ball seven times for nine yards, according to PFF his impact landed more than just on carries or lack thereof.

“There aren’t many true fullbacks in today’s NFL, but of the 15 players to record at least 50 snaps lined up as a fullback this season, Burton led the way in PFF run-blocking grade (67.2),” Gordon McGuinness wrote on PFF’s website.

While teams don’t employ fullbacks, due to the NFL leaning toward pass-heavy attacks, Payton used Burton to help establish a physical component to their offensive attack. However, was Burton used due to Russell Wilson’s limitations? Will Payton lean toward the aerial attack and draft a QB that favors his New Orleans Saints days in 2024? Whichever way Payton lands, it doesn’t take from the impact Burton made with the Broncos this season.

In addition to Burton, Broncos long snapper Mitchell Fraboni was also named a second-team All-Pro by PFF (Ross Matiscik of the Jacksonville Jaguars got the first-team nod).

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Fullback Adam Prentice re-signs with the Saints practice squad after whirlwind week

Fullback Adam Prentice re-signed with the New Orleans Saints practice squad after a whirlwind week. So much for a restful bye week:

The bye week is supposed to be restful, but that hasn’t been Adam Prentice’s experience. The fullback re-signed with the New Orleans Saints practice squad after a whirlwind week that saw him activated from injured reserve, active for his first game in a month, and then waived days later — only to clear waivers and re-sign with the team, which the Saints announced on the daily NFL transactions wire.

Prentice, 26, has had a unique career. He played college football at Colorado State and South Carolina before signing with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2021; they waived him after training camp and the Saints picked him up, and he’s been their go-to option at fullback ever since. He experienced some uncharacteristic struggles early this season with an untimely fumble and some dropped passes, and he missed four games with a knee injury before being cleared to return.

Now he’s back on the practice squad and is eligible to be elevated for three games before returning to the 53-man roster. But how big of a role will he play? Nose tackle Khalen Saunders has taken some valuable snaps at fullback in the Saints’ red zone package in recent weeks, and Prentice saw just one snap on offense in his first game back against the Vikings (though he logged a dozen reps on special teams). We’ll have to wait and see what the plan is for him coming out of the bye week.

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Saints waive fullback Adam Prentice days after activating him from injured reserve

Saints waive fullback Adam Prentice days after activating him from injured reserve

Well that’s odd. The New Orleans Saints waived fullback Adam Prentice just days after they activated him from injured reserve, burning one of the eight slots teams are allowed to use in season in designated players to return from an injury.

Prentice was active for Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, though he played just one snap on offense and a dozen on special teams with the kick return and punt coverage units. He’ll likely re-sign with the practice squad after being let go, but stay tuned. He was waived from the 53-man roster to open a spot for wide receiver Keith Kirkwood.

It’s frustrating to burn one of those eight return slots on a player who was waived just days later, but it’s not that big of a deal given the Saints’ current circumstances. The only player on injured reserve right now who is even eligible to return is defensive end Payton Turner, who is still weeks away from being able to practice.

And with just seven weeks left in the regular season, the window for players to go on injured reserve, sit out four weeks while recovering, and then open a three-week phase in which to practice and be activated is shrinking.

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