No-show Henderson meets with Elway
Broncos wide receiver Carlos Henderson, who has been away from training camp, was at the team’s facility Tuesday morning and met with team officials.
A source close to the situation said Henderson’s status remains unchanged as he remains on the reserved/did-not-report list, meaning he does not count against the Broncos’ 90-man roster.
The Broncos have an open roster spot if they choose to activate Henderson after placing guard Menelik Watson on injured reserve Monday.
Henderson told the Broncos in late July he would not be reporting to camp so he can deal with personal issues. He is subject to daily fines by the team for missing training camp.
Broncos coach Vance Joseph confirmed that general manager John Elway spoke with Henderson, but Joseph could not confirm the contents of that conversation.
Even if he rejoins the team, Henderson’s chances of making the 53-man roster appear slim because Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton are locks, Isaiah McKenzie could make it as a receiver/punt returner and young players Tim Patrick and River Cracraft have impressed in camp.
No concern for McKenzie.
McKenzie fumbled after a fourthquarter reception against the Bears on Saturday night.
Did that erase all the preseason progress he made since a regrettable six-fumble season as a rookie last year?
Not in the eyes of Denver’s new special-teams coordinator Tom McMahon.
“I don’t even go there,” McMahon said. “The biggest thing is that it is a whole different ballgame catching the ball (on punts) and what his role is on offense. The big thing is we’re just going to keep working what we’re doing on catching punts. We believe in him. I think the kid will do a great job.”
McKenzie returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown in the Broncos’ preseason opener against Minnesota.
Backup requirements.
As Denver sorts through its options at backup quarterback — Chad Kelly, Paxton Lynch or a free agent — the job duties for the role were made clear by Broncos offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave.
“He’s got to be ready at a moment’s notice,” Musgrave said. “And he’s got to be ready with minimal preparation. Especially us, being a first-year system, first-year QB. Our backup quarterback is not going to get a lot of practice plays. He’s going to have to be ready to go in and have the offense continue to click along even when he doesn’t get really a fair share of reps.”
Footnotes.
Responding to a report in the New York Daily News that the Broncos were linked to Jets quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, Joseph said: “That’s news to me.” … Outside linebacker Shane Ray missed practice for what Joseph called a “personal reason.” … Also not practicing were safety Su’a Cravens (knee), center Sam Jones (back), guard J.J. Dielman (knee), tight end Troy Fumagalli (groin), cornerback Marcus Rios (leg) and offensive tackle Andreas Knappe (concussion protocol).