Denver Broncos: It’s finally De’Angelo Henderson time

It’s finally time for De’Angelo Henderson in Denver, as the rookie will get a chance to play special teams and some offense in Washington…

We spent a lot of time after the draft and in the offseason/training camp/preseason process telling you about De’Angelo Henderson, the Denver Broncos’ rookie sixth round pick out of Coastal Carolina.

But in case you’re just now hearing about him, or you’d forgotten about him (I couldn’t blame you there) you must know that the Broncos have an absolute gem on their hands in this young man.

Henderson, a running back prospect with a rocked up 5-foot-8, 208 pound frame, has big time speed, power, and pass catching ability.

There are very few backs with the size and overall skill-set of Henderson, but because of level of competition in college, age, and the value of running backs as it relates to the draft, he fell to the Broncos in round six.

Then in the preseason, we saw Henderson do this:

Henderson’s big run in the first preseason game against the Chicago Bears really set the tone for the rest of his exhibition games, and every time this kid touched the ball, Broncos Country started anticipating big plays.

Nicknamed ‘Hop’ in college for his crazy lateral agility and ability to make cuts on a dime and accelerate, Henderson has been inactive for much of the season for the Broncos.

That’s not a huge surprise, given the team has veteran Jamaal Charles to play whatever role Henderson might be expected to play, but Charles hasn’t been adequately utilized this season, so why would we expect any different from Henderson?

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Unfortunately, and head coach Vance Joseph admitted this earlier in the season, it would have taken an injury for Henderson to get a chance at some carries within the offense.

Perhaps multiple injuries.

The Broncos have stayed abnormally healthy at the running back position, and no one is complaining about that, certainly, especially the backs on the roster that have struggled with injuries in their career (Charles, C.J. Anderson).

According to multiple reports, Henderson is expected to be active for the Broncos against the Redskins, and some of that may have to do with the fact that two wide receivers — Emmanuel Sanders, Cody Latimer — are out for this game and Denver needs the additional juice on special teams.

Henderson can also make plays in that phase of the game, and could endear himself very quickly to this coaching staff by getting some work done there on Sunday.

With just two regular season games left to play, the Broncos are finally trying to get a look at some of these young players. The wait for Henderson, no doubt, will be worth it.