Tag: Returner

Saints bring back rookie returns specialist Jermaine Jackson

The Saints re-signed rookie returns ace Jermaine Jackson. He might bring an alternative on special teams after Rashid Shaheed’s muffed punt:

This is interesting. The New Orleans Saints announced a couple of changes to their practice squad on Tuesday, with rookie running back Jacob Kibodi being waived to open a spot for first-year wide receiver Jermaine Jackson.

Jackson, 5-foot-6 and 174 pounds, first signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Idaho earlier this year. But he suffered an injury during training camp and was let go from injured reserve with a settlement. Now he’s back.

It’s tough to not connect Jackson’s return to Rashid Shaheed’s big mistake against the Atlanta Falcons, muffing a punt deep in his own territory that was recovered for an opposing touchdown. Jackson was known for his skills in the return game at Idaho and picked up 604 punt return yards with 666 kick return yards, plus four return touchdowns (three off of punts, one from a kickoff).

The Saints spent big to get him in the building as a rookie free agent by guaranteeing $160,000 of his rookie contract. That’s more than some draft picks got from their teams, so they clearly valued him then and now by bringing him back for a second look now that he’s healthy.

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Broncos roster series: No. 83, WR Michael Bandy

After spending most of last season on the practice squad, WR Michael Bandy could be a candidate for a kickoff return role in 2024.

Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at second-year* wide receiver Michael Bandy, No. 83.

Before the Broncos: Bandy (5-10, 190 pounds) went undrafted in 2020 after playing college football with the San Diego Toreros. He competed in The Spring League that year and then got an opportunity with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021. He spent most of his first season on L.A.’s practice squad and started the 2022 season on the practice squad as well.

The Chargers promoted Bandy to the active roster in October of his second season and the receiver ended up dressing for 10 games that year. Bandy was used sparingly on offense, hauling in 10 receptions for 89 yards. He also returned four kickoffs for 88 yards.

After his contract in L.A. expired, Bandy spent a season with the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks in the spring of 2023.

Broncos tenure: Denver signed Bandy following last year’s XFL season and he spent most of the NFL season on the Broncos’ practice squad. Bandy was elevated to the game-day roster in Week 17 in December and he played two snaps on offense and eight snaps on special teams.

*Bandy has been in the NFL since 2021, but the league considers him a “second-year” player because he only has one accrued season (dressing for at least six regular-season games in the same season).

Chances to make the 53-man roster: Long shot. The NFL switching to an XFL-style kickoff this year will help Bandy’s chances to make the team as a returner, but Denver has a crowded receiver room. Bandy’s best shot to stick around in 2024 will likely be on the practice squad.

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Sean Payton comments on NFL’s new kickoff rule: ‘It’s fun’

“We were for it for a lot a reasons,” Payton said of the kickoff rule. “We have what we feel like is one of the better special teams units.”

The NFL will have a new XFL-style kickoff rule this season.

Under the new format, NFL teams will still kick the ball from the 35-yard line, but there’s a new twist: every player on the kicking team other than the kicker will now line up with at least one foot on the returning team’s 40-yard line. Broncos coach Sean Payton is in favor of the change.

“It’s fun that we’re doing this,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said during his pre-draft press conference in April. “When I say that it’s fun, I think there’s a little unknown. I think this: The distance traveled is going to be not as far, so when you’re covering a kick, speed is fairly important as a coverage unit getting down the field and getting to the ball carrier. We’ve taken that whole group and said, ‘All right, we’re going to put you guys 10 yards away. I think certainly you could see probably a little heavier unit then.

“It’s certainly going to put a premium on your two returners because you have to have two, and then that box where you’re kicking the ball to, these guys, like third basemen, are going to have to be able to field these kicks pretty cleanly. We were for it for a lot a reasons. We have what we feel like is one of the better special teams units. We feel like last year, we made a lot of gains there. We have a good returner.”

Denver receiver Marvin Mims made the Pro Bowl as a returner last season after leading the league with 16.4 yards per punt return and ranking fourth with 26.5 yards per kickoff return. The new rule should, in theory, lead to more returns in 2024, which is good news for Mims.

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Ken Bell was the best player to wear No. 35 for the Broncos

Ken Bell reached three Super Bowls with the Broncos and he ranks seventh in franchise history with 2,365 return yards.

Former running back Ken Bell was the best player to ever wear jersey No. 35 for the Denver Broncos.

Bell was used sparingly on offense, only rushing 31 times for 96 yards in his career, but he made an impact on special teams as a returner. In four years, Bell totaled 2,218 yards on 104 kickoff returns.

Former cornerback Lenny Walls deserves an honorable mention as a 20-game starter in Denver, but Bell ranks higher in the team’s history books.

Walls recorded just one interception during his four years with the Broncos. Bell, on the other hand, ranks seventh on the club’s all-time return list with 2,365 yards (kickoff and punt returns combined).

Fellow running back Larry Canada also deserves an honorable mention, but he only played three years with the team and his 781 all-purpose yards are less than half of Bell’s.

Bell also helped Denver reach three Super Bowls following the 1986, 1987 and 1989 seasons. The Broncos lost all three games, but reaching the Super Bowl is a notable accomplishment. His 21 returns in the playoffs are also a franchise record.

Bell’s son, Kenny, was a wide receiver in the NFL from 2015-2018, including a brief stint in Denver. The younger Bell also played in the AAF.

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Where Marvin Mims stacked up against NFL’s returners in 2023

Among players with double digit-returns, Broncos rookie Marvin Mims ranked 1st with 16.4 YPR on punts and 4th with 26.5 YPR on kickoffs.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Marvin Mims had a limited role on offense as a rookie, but he made a big impact on special teams.

Mims was elected to the Pro Bowl by players, coaches and fans after he returned 19 punts for 312 yards and 15 kickoffs for 397 yards and one touchdown in his first season as a pro. Mims is now set to handle return duties for the AFC at the Pro Bowl next month.

“How cool for Marvin in his rookie year to be able to come in and be selected as a starter?” Broncos safety Justin Simmons said last week. “Well-deserved for him.”

Among players with double-digit returns, Mims ranked fourth in the NFL averaging 26.5 yards per kickoff return (first in the AFC). He averaged 16.4 yards per punt return, best in the league among qualified returners.

The three players above Mims on kickoffs were KaVontae Turpin (29.2 YPR), Velus Jones Jr. (27.2 YPR) and Raheem Blackshear (26.9 YPR). Here’s a quick look at where Mims stacked up among kickoff and punt returners in 2023.

Broncos cut WR Montrell Washington, last year’s 5th-round pick

The Broncos are cutting receiver/returner Montrell Washington, who as a fifth-round pick in 2022.

The Denver Broncos are waiving wide receiver Montrell Washington, Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette first reported on Tuesday morning.

Washington (5-10, 170 pounds) was picked by the Broncos in the fifth round of last year’s NFL draft out of Samford. He began his rookie season as Denver’s return specialist but struggled to make a positive impact on special teams.

Washington returned 32 punts for 271 yards (averaging 8.5 yards per P return) and 18 kickoffs for 340 yards (averaging 18.9 yards per KO return). He had a minimal role on offense with five rushes for 30 yards and four receptions for two yards.

After fumbling five times, Washington was benched for the final two games of the 2022 season when Jerry Rosburg took over as interim head coach.

If he clears waivers, Washington will likely be a candidate to return on the practice squad. Meanwhile, second-round pick Marvin Mims now appears poised to handle return duties in 2023.

We are tracking all of the Broncos’ roster cuts on this page.

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Broncos made 2 roster moves on Wednesday

The Broncos signed running back/returner Dwayne Washington and waived/injured defensive lineman Forrest Merrill on Wednesday.

The Denver Broncos made a pair of roster moves on Wednesday.

First, the team signed running back/returner Dwayne Washington to a one-year deal. Washington (6-1, 223 pounds) is an eighth-year veteran who entered the league as a seventh-round pick out of Washington with the Detroit Lions in 2016.

Washington spent the first two years of his career in Detroit, rushing 110 times for 309 yards and one touchdown. He also returned four kickoffs for 77 yards with the Lions.

Washington then joined the New Orleans Saints, playing under coach Sean Payton from 2018-2021. Washington remained in New Orleans last year while Payton took a break from coaching. The 29-year-old running back rushed 58 times for 283 yards in 66 games with the Saints and returned 10 kickoffs for 168 yards.

Now reunited with Payton, Washington will add more depth to Denver’s backfield and give the team another kick returner for the final two preseason games.

The team’s second move was waiving defensive tackle Forrest Merrill with an injury designation. Merrill was waived to make room for Washington on the roster. The 90-man offseason roster is now full.

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Here’s what Sean Payton is looking for in a Broncos kick returner

Broncos coach Sean Payton wants to see reliability and ball security from the team’s kickoff and punt return candidates during preseason.

The Denver Broncos averaged 8.3 yards per punt return last season, marking the 12th-worst average in the NFL. On kickoffs, the team averaged 17.5 yards per return, which ranked dead last in the league.

When new head coach Sean Payton arrived this offseason, he made it a priority to improve special teams. The Broncos changed punters and kickers this offseason, and the kick return job will be up for grabs this summer.

So what is Payton looking for in the team’s next returner?

“The first thing is reliability and ball security,” Payton said on July 29. “There is nothing worse than when the ball is in the air and you have that, ‘I hope he catches it’ [feeling]. That is something where the preseason will help show its hand a little bit. I kind of get back to [Mike] Westhoff, [Ben] Kotwica and even [Chris] Banjo, but the investment we’ve made in our special teams, both on the field and upstairs, is significant.

“We’re going to have the opportunity to return in the kickoff and hopefully — I know it’s tough here because of the altitude — when we get those return opportunities in the punt game, we’re going to have great schemes and designs to give these guys a chance. The key is then — we have a great producer, let’s find someone that can take advantage of that. That will be important.”

Candidates to handle return duties for Denver this season include Montrell Washington, Marvin Mims and Jaleel McLaughlin. The players vying for the return job will get their first in-game chance to impress when the Broncos face the Arizona Cardinals in their preseason opener on Friday.

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Broncos ST coach Ben Kotwica eager to track Montrell Washington’s progress this summer

“I love his work ethic,” Ben Kotwica said of returner Montrell Washington. “He’s always asking questions and wants to be out on the field.”

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After being picked by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of last year’s NFL draft out of Samford, return specialist Montrell Washington struggled to make an impact as a rookie.

Washington averaged 8.5 yards per punt return and 18.9 yards per kickoff return through 15 games last year before being benched by interim coach Jerry Rosburgh for the final two games of the season.

The Broncos now have a new head coach in Sean Payton and a new special teams coach in Ben Kotwica, giving Washington an opportunity to make a good impression with a fresh start.

“There are a couple things about Montrell. First off, I love his work ethic,” Kotwica said when asked about the returner on June 14. “He’s always asking questions and wants to be out on the field. Under the parameters that we have, we can’t be out there all day, but he is a player that would be out there all day [if allowed]. We’ve talked to him about that.

“He has that athletic ability. I think it’s continuing to [show] confidence in the player. I’m excited about where it will take him during training camp.”

Washington ran a 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds last spring, but his speed did not directly correlate to success in the NFL. He fumbled five times as a rookie, and following the arrival of second-round pick Marvin Mims, Washington won’t be a lock to make the 53-man roster this summer.

Washington will get an opportunity to redeem himself, though, and if he looks good during camp and preseason, he can earn a spot for 2023.

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Broncos CB Pat Surtain ‘wants to be part of special teams’

“He wants to be part of special teams,” Ben Kotwica said of PS2. “Everybody is buying in, so it’s really cool to see that out of Pat.”

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The Denver Broncos turned heads this spring when they had star cornerback Pat Surtain line up to catch punts during minicamp this spring.

Don’t worry, Surtain won’t be the team’s starting punt returner this season. Ben Kotwica, Denver’s special teams coordinator, explained last week that Surtain is merely being considered as a fallback option.

“You’re always looking for depth at various positions, whether it be a core player or somebody on the perimeter,” Kotwica said on June 14. “Here in the spring, you’re trying different things. Now is the time to try a different formation in your punt game or try a fake. Pat going back there to catch punts was something that we wanted to explore.

“The cool thing about Pat is that he wants to be part of special teams. Coach Payton, Coach [Mike] Westhoff and myself made it an emphasis, and Coach Payton is one of the best teachers I’ve ever seen, whether it’s offense, defense, situational ball, and even special teams. Everybody is buying in, so it’s really cool to see that out of Pat.”

Surtain returned punts in high school, but he did not have that role in college. Broncos rookie wide receiver Marvin Mims seems to be the early favorite to return punts this season — Surtain is just a backup candidate.

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