ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — When Seahawks’ quarterback Geno Smith hit wide-open running back Zach Charbonnet down the right side for a 30-yard touchdown pass that turned out to be the game-winning play?
Broncos’ safety Brandon Jones wasn’t out there.
In fact, Jones sat out that entire six-play, 80-yard drive that Seattle sandwiched between the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth as he was on a “pitch count” because of his hamstring injury. The pass went to the quadrant where backup safety Devon Key was positioned at the snap. Key broke in to cover a deep inside route, while Charbonnet wheeled out behind him.
Alex Singleton broke out from his middle linebacker position to try and cover Charbonnet out wide, but then seemed to let up as if he was expecting coverage behind him. It wasn’t there. The touchdown gave Seattle a 26-13 lead one play into the fourth quarter and the home team hung on for a 26-20 win.
Jones was out there for Seattle’s next series in the fourth quarter and was so re-energized he pulled the helmet off a Seattle receiver who was trying to block him. Jones wasn’t penalized but the league slapped him with an $11,255 fine for unnecessary roughness.
Jones missed most of training camp and the entire preseason with the hamstring injury. He recovered in time to start the opener last Sunday against the Seahawks, but he was limited to 46 of 67 defensive snaps.
“Yeah I was on a snap count,’’ Jones said Friday at his locker. “They told me beforehand I was going to be held back here and there.’’
For the game Sunday afternoon (2:25 p.m. kickoff) against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Empower Field at Mile High, Jones hopes the snap-count restrictions have been lifted.
“They haven’t told me anything this week so I should be good to go,’’ he said.
Broncos elevate Badie, Humphrey
It will be veteran Tyler Badie, not rookie running back Blake Watson, who will serve as the Broncos’ No. 3 running back this week. Badie was elevated from the Broncos’ practice squad, as was receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey, to the active roster for the game Sunday against the Steelers.
The veteran Humphrey was elevated for a second consecutive game. He has one more elevation remaining before the Broncos would have to promote him to the 53-man roster in order to use him.
Watson is currently on the 53-man roster. He played four seasons at Old Dominion, a smaller Division I program, and one year at Memphis before he got a $25,000 signing bonus and $275,000 in guarantees to sign with the Broncos as an undrafted college free agent in late April.
Given the competition from other teams to sign Watson after the draft, the Broncos decided to protect him on their season-opening, 53-man roster and not expose him to waivers knowing he needs more development.
Badie is a former late-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens. He is in his third NFL season and is coming off an impressive training camp. He will back up Broncos’ top two running backs, Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin, for the game Sunday against the Steelers.
Officially, it’s DeVaughn
It looks a little odd, Devaughn Vele’s first name. You want to capitalize the ‘V’ and make it DeVaughn. Apparently, so did his parents.
“It’s supposed to be DeVaughn with a capital, ‘V,’’’ the Broncos’ rookie receiver explained at his locker recently. “I just got lazy and started writing it with a small ‘v,’ because it was easier,’’ Vele said. “And I just kept writing it that way ever since.’’
Birth certificate?
“It’s a capital ‘V’ on my birth certificate,’’ Vele said.
It was in his middle school years that Vele made the haphazard switch to Devaughn. The lowercase ‘v’ does add another layer of uniqueness to his first name.
Vele had a game-high 8 catches for 39 yards in his NFL debut last week at Seattle but all that action had a price. Devaughn will be on the inactive list Sunday when the Broncos play the Steelers as Vele has been ruled out with a ribs injury.
Bonitto fined
Besides Jones, the league also fined Broncos’ edge rusher Nik Bonitto $8,791 for his roughing the passer penalty on Seattle’s Smith. Bonitto was penalized 15 yards after he inadvertently hit Smith in the helmet.
