Broncos stress importance of special teams for roster bubble players

Many people who don't know football may think little of special teams, until it's crunch time and you need a field goal to win. However, special teams often is where players who lay on the roster bubble are made. One particular example relevant to the Denver Broncos of a special teams player making the 53-man roster is that of Hall of Famer Terrell Davis. In a 1995 preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers, Davis, a sixth-string running back at the time, was sent in on special teams for kickoff duty. During one kickoff, Davis leveled San Francisco returner Tyronne Drakeford. That put Davis on the map, and by the start of the season, Davis was the starting running back for Denver. Broncos coach Sean Payton referenced Davis and his start on special teams in August 2023. "The Terrell Davis story is well known, but there are so many of those stories," Payton said. "There are countless Pro Bowl players who started earning their keep in the kicking game." One of those players who has made his mark on special teams on the current Broncos roster is Devon Key. Key was an undrafted defensive back out of Western Kentucky, bouncing around the NFL before cementing his name as a special teams ace. Key was one of six Broncos in 2025 to earn AP All-Pro honors — and he did it as a special teams player. Special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi has also spoken about the importance of special teams. "I think you look at our roster, making our 53-man roster for the majority, for these younger guys, they’re going to have to show something here in these games on special teams as core players," Rizzi said. "I don’t think that’s a big secret. Obviously, you see we’re top heavy with our roster, but these bottom spots are going to be big time, these battles that are going on at certain positions are going to come down to — and I know Sean has said it — are going to come down to how these guys perform." The Broncos' first preseason game is against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday. There will likely be many different players on kickoffs, punt return or punt protection who are fighting for their NFL lives. "These three games are big for a lot of these guys,” Rizzi said. Can they make their mark? We shall see. Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans. This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Broncos stress importance of special teams for roster bubble players