Denver Broncos: Carlos Henderson returns to team facility
Denver Broncos second-year player Carlos Henderson has returned to the team facility after opting not to report due to family/personal reasons.
For reasons that are still unknown at this point, Denver Broncos wide receiver and 2017 third-round draft pick Carlos Henderson has not been at training camp.
Henderson was reportedly dealing with a family/personal issue and opted not to report for training camp.
The Broncos seemed to be taking a pretty hard stance on Henderson at the end of OTAs when he was missing practices due to a hamstring injury, and Vance Joseph even called him out publicly, stating he would need to start practicing if he wanted to make the team.
The hard stance turned to a bit of concern then as Joseph’s last comments about Henderson seemed to indicate the team was more worried about Carlos ‘the person’ versus Carlos the ‘football player’.
That’s certainly the right stance to take, as none of us know what Henderson has been going through but the Broncos likely have a pretty good idea.
Henderson reportedly returned to the team facility on Tuesday to talk with officials:
Talked briefly with #Broncos receiver Carlos Henderson today at Dove Valley. He told me he "felt good" and was hopeful of returning. See what happens next. But good news is that looked healthy and fit. Rooting for him to have career here or somewhere. #Denver7
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) August 21, 2018
What happens from this point forward is completely unknown.
If the Broncos decided to cut Henderson, it would cost them a pretty big chunk of change. The dead money left on Henderson’s deal would be over $600,000, but he is also suspended for the first game of the season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Again, Henderson has been dealing with a lot this past year, after being placed on injured reserve, getting arrested for marijuana possession in January, missing training camp, and then getting the suspension piled on top.
Would the Broncos welcome him back? Would they even give him a chance to compete on the 90-man roster, let alone have a chance at the 53 starting in week two of the regular season?
It’s possible, but not overly likely.
Henderson’s position group has five spots solidified, and he’s not going to be available for the first game. The Broncos are working roster gymnastics as it is and trying to figure out how to fit Henderson in without any time at training camp is borderline impossible.
He would have to take the WR6 spot behind Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Courtland Sutton, DaeSean Hamilton, and Tim Patrick. No one in preseason play has separated themselves just yet for that spot, though in practices, River Cracraft has been turning heads.
Next. Latest 53-man roster projection. dark
Isaiah McKenzie, another 2017 draft pick, ran a punt back for a touchdown in the team’s first preseason game and is listed as the number one punt returner, but is listed behind the top six wide receivers on the offensive depth chart. He fumbled to essentially end the game against the Bears.
The Broncos didn’t cut Henderson while he was gone. They could have. We’ll see what happens next, as his story is as bizarre as it is fascinating.