ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Before getting into Brandon Jones’ hamstring saga, let’s pronounce the Broncos’ highest-priced offseason free-agent acquisition as 100% healthy.
“Feeling great. Feeling real good,’’ said Jones, whose absence from the Broncos’ injury report supports his words.
He’ll start Sunday at Seattle?
“Yes sir,” Jones said.
Now for the soft-tissue saga. Hamstrings are no big whip until you try to heal from them. What makes hamstrings a greater nuisance than other injuries is the more you do, the worse they get.
And the less-is-more approach runs counter to Jones’ makeup.
Running back Jaleel McLaughlin wasn’t always the first player in during the offseason and training camp workouts and off days. Jones is a workout- and study-aholic. Recovering from the hamstring injury he suffered initially near the end of OTAs in early June, and then in the first week of training camp in late July, was against his nature.
“Oh yeah, it was frustrating from that aspect because I’m always … it’s real hard for me to sit still and not do anything,’’ Jones said Thursday in an interview with 9NEWS. “I can be very hard-headed at times. I definitely think I needed a shock collar at one point through the rehab. Because I’m always, ‘I’m good. I can do this. I can do that.’ [The trainers] were telling me, ‘No, no. Trust us. Trust the science. Trust the rehab.’
“But I’m super thankful for them though because I’m feeling 100% and ready to go, Week 1.”
A part-time starting safety his first four NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins, Jones flashed enough plays on tape for Broncos head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton to believe he could make the jump to full-time starter in year five. That faith was demonstrated through a three-year, $20 million contract that will pay Jones $7 million this year and $6.25 million the next.
He began his term with the Broncos by showing his supreme work ethic during the offseason program, but then came a setback. Jones sat out the last week or so of the Broncos’ OTAs and minicamp with what figured to be a minor hamstring pull. After the NFL’s five-and-a-half-week summer break, Jones was ready to go for the start of training camp.
But on Day 3 of camp, Jones left practice early with the hamstring tweak. He missed the rest of camp and all of the preseason before he returned to practice on a limited basis the week of the Arizona Cardinals’ no-count game.
Although he didn’t play, Jones started practicing as a full-participant after the 53-man roster was set last week. Was he ever concerned about whether the hamstring would come around?
“Wouldn’t necessarily say, concerned,’’ Jones said. “It was foreign territory. I’ve never dealt with a hamstring, so a lot of the stuff was new to me when it came to rehab and the overall timing. And just being smart with it because hamstrings are something that can easily -- if not treated well, or you try to do too much too soon, it can easily come back and be one of those things that linger for a long time.”
Doesn’t Greg Dulcich know it. The talented tight end has finally recovered from his two-year bout with a hamstring injury. Jones is returning just in time because the Broncos will need him and fellow safety P.J. Locke to be on top of their game against the Seattle Seahawks.
“His history is that he’s a player with great range,’’ Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said of Jones. “He’s a good blitzer. He has great range to keep the big plays to a minimum. He’s super smart.
“He hasn’t played much so obviously it won’t be perfect because he hasn’t played actual football, and tackled and all of those things, but his experience and his skill set should show.”
Jones has done his best in recent weeks to simulate the game of football.
“I’m doing all I can from practice once I got back of going full speed, just getting back in the flow of things,’’ he said. “Actually I just worked with my position coach [Jim Leonhard] to do some tackling stuff, getting used to going to the ground.
“Yeah, it is always hard when you can’t get those physical reps, but I’ve had multiple injuries throughout my career and I know that from the mental side of it, from walkthroughs, standing in the back and putting myself in the guys’ shoes who are in there during practice and getting those reps mentally.”
The Seahawks present unique offensive challenges, especially as a Game 1 opponent.
“The biggest thing is they have a new coach,’’ Jones said.
He wasn’t referring to head coach Mike Macdonald, although he is new, but the Seahawks’ new offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, who guided the University of Washington to 36.0 and 39.7 points per game the past two years. Grubb’s offense is especially high-flying in the passing game.
“So it’s going to be essentially a new offense,’’ Jones said. “And that’s always tough, especially Week 1 when the only film you have to work off is preseason. And then we’ve been watching some of the Washington film for the OC.
“They have a lot of weapons. Super aggressive, physical, fast team. They definitely play together. A lot of playmakers. Geno [Smith] can definitely sling it really well. Super smart quarterback. Very few weaknesses on the offensive side I would say.
“I’m super excited – I haven’t played in Seattle yet. That stadium will be rockin'. It will be super loud, so I’m super excited.”
