ENGLEWOOD – Exciting as Isaiah McKenzie may be as a punt returner, the Broncos must trust him.
To date, he requires a little too much faith.
After he had six – count ‘em, six -- muffed or fumbled punt returns last year, McKenzie fumbled again in opposing territory with 1:09 left in the Broncos’ 24-23 preseason loss Saturday to the Bears.
Simply put, if McKenzie doesn’t fumble, the Broncos probably win. At the very least, kicker Brandon McManus would have had a chance to win it with a field goal attempt.
So is McKenzie one more fumble away from doomsday, even though he had an electrifying, 78-yard punt return for a touchdown last week in the preseason opener against Minnesota?
“I hope not,’’ said Broncos head coach Vance Joseph. “I want him to remain confident. He’s done some really good stuff. I don’t want him to go in the tank because of one play. He’s got to continue to push and compete, and right now, he’s in a good spot. I wouldn’t want him to take a step back. Hopefully, he remains confident and keeps performing.”
Another C.J. sleeper?
One player you might see a little earlier in the game Friday at Washington is cornerback C.J. Smith. He played 10 games for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016 and three with the Cleveland Browns last year.
The Broncos are struggling to find a No. 4 corner to back up Chris Harris Jr., Bradley Roby and Tramaine Brock. Although rookie Isaac Yiadom has potential, he may need more time before he’s ready to help in Sunday coverage.
“C.J. Smith is a player that’s been consistent since the spring,’’ Joseph said. “He’s made plays on the ball for us, he’s played nickel and outside corner for us, so I’m not surprised he plays well in actual games. He had a play he almost made to seal the game on Saturday (with a near interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter). He didn’t make it, but he was there. He’s been a consistent performer for us.”
Alexander Johnson contract details
Like all undrafted rookies, Broncos’ inside linebacker Alexander Johnson got a three-year contract with minimum salaries of $480,000 this year, $570,000 in 2019 and $660,000 in 2020.
What was perhaps record setting for Broncos’ undrafted rookies was he got a $35,000 signing bonus and $15,000 of this year’s $480,000 salary fully guaranteed.
The $50,000 in guarantees crushes the $20,000 that Jamal Carter got last year as the highest-paid undrafted rookie since John Elway became general manager in 2011.
Five days after he signed, Johnson played 10 defensive snaps against the Bears and had a big tackle on kickoff coverage.
“He did OK,’’ Joseph said. “He’s obviously a big, powerful man. He made a nice tackle on kickoff and just ran through a double team. His physical ability is obviously apparent. He needs to play more football, he needs to be in more meetings. He’s been here now for what, a week? A week and a half?
We’ve got plenty of time to get him ready to go.”
Bronco Bits
Strong safety Su’a Cravens still hasn’t returned to the practice field. His knee injury early in training camp experienced a setback last week, Joseph said, but he’s back on the recovery trail.
Even if he doesn’t play in a preseason game, he’s expected to make the 53-man roster – so long as he’s healthy by the season opener September 9 against Seattle. …
The most likely scenario for receiver/returner Jordan Taylor is the Broncos place him on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list when final cuts are made September 1. As someone who plays a full-speed sprint, cut and jump position, recovering from surgeries on both hips takes a while. …
Harris (oblique), receiver Demaryius Thomas (wrist), outside linebacker Shaw Barrett (hamstring), safety Dymonte Thomas (hamstring), strong safety Will Parks (left knee contusion), and cornerback Michael Hunter (migraines) returned to practice Monday. Rookie blocker Sam Jones (back) and tight end Troy Fumagalli (groin) observed but didn’t practice.
