Denver Broncos: Carlos Henderson could be the answer at punt returner
Carlos Henderson could be the Denver Broncos’ answer at the punt return position that has become such an area of weakness…
After some negative publicity earlier this offseason, it’s been easy for many fans to write off 2017 third round pick Carlos Henderson for the Denver Broncos as a major asset for the 2018 season, but that would be unwise.
One of the nation’s best all-purpose players, Henderson has a chance to be one of the more impactful ‘newcomers’ to the Broncos this season.
One particular area of concern for the Broncos going forward is the punt return position, and while Henderson managed to score multiple touchdowns in just about every other way in college, he never once returned a punt.
That could change now that the Broncos have a desperate need once again at the position with Isaiah McKenzie struggling with fumbles in his rookie season.
If you follow Henderson on Instagram, you have certainly seen the work he’s putting in this offseason, and on Wednesday he posted a video of what looked like him working on catching a punt or kickoff and then exploding upfield.
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Even if he was just practicing catching kickoffs, the Broncos would be wise to try him out in the punt return position. We’re talking about one of the best players in all of college football in 2016 of making plays in space and finding ways to break tackles and make guys miss in the open field.
We didn’t get to see any of that in his rookie season, but that is the type of playmaker Henderson is. He is built almost like a running back, and when you get him one-on-one in space, he’s hard to bring down.
If he can utilize that open-field elusiveness and tackle-breaking ability as a punt returner, the team would be dumb not to explore it.
The Broncos didn’t get much out of their 2017 rookie class save for Garett Bolles starting every game at left tackle, and Henderson will be counted on to do more than just play the slot in 2018. Perhaps he could be part of the solution at a major problem area for the Broncos.