The Denver Broncos released their first depth chart of the season last Sunday. One player of note is safety, John Boyett.
The Broncos signed Boyett, a 2013 6th round pick of the Indianapolis Colts, to their practice squad last November, after he had been waived by the team who drafted him.
He had been on the Colts’ reserve/non-football injury list, until he tried to fight the law in a drunken stupor. But we all know what happened next. The law won.
Since the Broncos signed him, Boyett has been getting healthy and competing in the Broncos’ organized team activities and training camp.
Along the way, he’s made some noise with the Broncos. As a safety, he’s a very intense, explosive player who can lay the wood. He brings a nastiness to the team, similar to T.J. Ward, whom he backed up at the University of Oregon.
Boyett had to miss the first couple of practices in pads, due to a non-serious injury. There’s no question that set him back a little bit, as it pertains to the depth chart.
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But don’t expect it to set him back for long. The Broncos’ coaches have said that they love Boyett’s intensity, but that he needs to cut down on some of his mental errors.
I’ve recently opined that I believe Duke Ihenacho is on the roster bubble. One of the reasons I believe that is because of John Boyett.
Throwing Quinton Carter into the mix has also made for a very intense and interesting competition at safety. Guys like Ihenacho and David Bruton have been feeling the heat.
As of right now, Boyett is listed as the 3rd team free safety on the depth chart, behind Rahim Moore and Quinton Carter. But if he can stay healthy, I expect Boyett to climb the safety ladder.
It’ll be interesting to watch Boyett in the Broncos matchup with the Seattle Seahawks this Thursday. This might come as high praise, so don’t read into it too much, but he reminds me a little bit of Eric Weddle, and not just because he’s white. Boyett has a similar skill set but is a more ferocious hitter than Weddle.
I watched Weddle play throughout his collegiate career at Utah. If Boyett can become even half of the NFL player that Weddle is, the Broncos will have a gem.