Now is George Aston’s time to shine for the Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos lost Andy Janovich for the next couple of months, which means it’s time for rookie free agent George Aston to shine.

The Denver Broncos got some bittersweet news after the MRI for stud fullback Andy Janovich revealed only a strained pectoral muscle.

Janovich, obviously a very key piece of the offense, will miss 6-8 weeks according to a variety of reports.

The Broncos, of course, have a backup in rookie undrafted free agent George Aston, a fan favorite with the Pitt Panthers in college whose versatility was his most enticing trait on tape. We wrote an article looking deeper at Aston earlier this offseason you might have some fun with.

Prior to the injury to Janovich, it seemed Aston had really no shot at making the final roster, and that had nothing to do with Aston himself. It is simply the numbers game and looking at the fact that NFL teams simply don’t keep two traditional fullbacks.

Now, the first 53-man roster the Broncos put out could very well feature both Janovich and Aston, and depending on Janovich’s progress, the Broncos could choose to keep both on the active roster for the duration of Janovich’s recovery.

Otherwise, the Broncos could choose to initially keep Janovich on the active roster, then send him to injured reserve with a designation to return at the midway point of the season.

The Broncos cannot put Janovich on IR before they put him on the active roster if they intend to have him play at all this season, per CBA rules.

Janovich, like Su’a Cravens last year, must be on the Broncos’ final 53-man roster if he’s going to be an IR/return candidate.

Eight weeks from today would put us right around the Broncos’ fifth regular season game of 2019, and that’s obviously assuming Janovich has to spend the maximum amount of time recovering.

If Janovich can’t play until that point or even needs the following week to re-acclimate himself in practice, the Broncos could be without Janovich up to five or six games this season. That means George Aston is all but guaranteed a roster spot unless the team has some creative ideas with using tight ends as lead blocking fullbacks.

What does this mean? It means now is the time for Aston to shine.

At Pitt, Aston proved himself to be valuable as a blocker, runner, and receiver. He showed on a target in the Broncos’ second preseason game against Seattle that he can definitely make some plays in the passing game, even after the catch.

Aston is a bruiser. He’s built like he was made in a fullback factory back in 1995.

The Broncos obviously plan to feature the fullback position in their offense this year and now, as we approach the portion of the preseason where the starters will play their most extensive snaps in game action, Aston is getting the chance to prove he can execute and do some of the same things Janovich has done within the offense.

That, of course, means assuming some lead blocking responsibilities, but just like with Janovich, it would be cool to see Aston get a chance to make some plays in the passing game and bowl guys over in the open field.

Now is his opportunity to prove that he not only belongs on the Broncos’ active roster, but that he should stay there when the team welcomes Janovich back.