Operation: Get Andy Janovich the ball should be in full swing for the Denver Broncos in the 2019 season. Janovich has paid his dues as a blocker.
Denver Broncos fullback and special teams captain Andy Janovich has probably broken as many opponents’ facemasks on big blocks as he has scored touchdowns.
Not that there’s anything wrong with Janovich paving the way in the running game, but the Broncos need to find a way to get this guy the ball more.
Lucky for them, Rich Scangarello is coming in with an offensive philosophy from the Kyle Shanahan tree which has seen Kyle Juszczyk rack up 83 targets and 78 total offensive touches over the past two seasons.
Janovich, who has 29 career touches on the offensive side of the ball — one of which was a reception on a fake punt — should be thrilled.
He will finally get to come out of hiding this season as an offensive weapon, and it’s overdue as far as the Broncos are concerned.
Not that Janovich needs to be a focal point of the offense in terms of dividing up targets, but this is a guy who scored a touchdown the first time he ever touched the ball in a regular season NFL game.
Remember that?
This is a guy who, despite a number of his 29 career touches being goal-line carries, averages 8.3 yards per touch and has three career scores.
Janovich has proven to be a great blocker, but more than that, he’s proven he’s capable of doing way more for the offense.
As a playmaker.
Janovich can take the ball as a running back, but he’s dangerous in space as a receiver. He may not run around many guys, but he can run past and through guys, and he’s a much better athlete than people probably think based on the position he plays.
Imagine if he could get 45-50 targets in a single season.
In a contract year, Janovich could be poised for his biggest and most important offensive role yet.