NFL Insider: Broncos have ample Super Bowl experience on roster despite playoff drought

Jun. 3—In his NFL Insider, Denver Gazette beat writer Chris Tomasson takes you around the Broncos and the NFL:

The Broncos recently released kicker Brandon McManus, the last remaining player from their Super Bowl-winning team of 2015. But there are still some guys on the practice field with rings.

First-year Broncos coach Sean Payton, who takes over a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2015, won a Super Bowl with New Orleans in the 2009 season. Quarterback Russell Wilson led Seattle to a championship in 2013. Tackle Cam Fleming got rings with New England in 2014 and 2016. And fullback Michael Burton won a Super Bowl with Kansas City in February.

"It was really special," Burton said of the 38-35 win over Philadelphia. "As soon as that clock ticked to zero and we won it, there was so much celebration and a lot of emotion."

Burton said having won a Super Bowl is important when it comes to talking to teammates about what it takes to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. After he signed with the Broncos in March, Burton heard from Wilson and there were texts back and forth that included a discussion of both wanting to also get a ring with Denver.

"That's why we're in this business," Burton said. "That's my goal is to help the Denver Broncos win a Super Bowl."

Even being on the losing side in a Super Bowl can be vital. Recently signed tackle Mike McGlinchey was with San Francisco when the 49ers lost Super Bowl LIV 31-20 to the Chiefs in February 2020. Still, he can pass on to teammates the experience of playing in the big game.

"I think it's huge," said McGlinchey, who spent his first five seasons with the 49ers. "I think experience matters. I think putting yourself in the biggest moments and experiencing those biggest moments and what the emotions feel like and what it takes to get there is incredibly valuable."

Also on that San Francisco Super Bowl team were current Broncos defensive tackle D.J. Jones and cornerback K'Waun Williams. And running back Samaje Perine was with Cincinnati when the Bengals lost 24-21 to the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LV in February 2022.

"The biggest takeaway from that and what I can bring to the table is that it doesn't take anything outside of what you do on an everyday basis," Perine said of making the Super Bowl. "We just went back to the basics and did what we do. We just went out and played football and that was the big thing (head coach) Zac (Taylor) preached about."

Wilson having previously won a Super Bowl didn't help the Broncos when he had a disastrous season and they finished 5-12 in 2022. But perhaps it will be a benefit to Wilson now also having on his side a coach in Payton who has won a Super Bowl.

"I think having that championship pedigree just trickles down to everybody else," McGlinchey said. "I think there's a blueprint on how to have success in this league, and I think the two of them have certainly found it."

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What I'm thinking

— Calling anyone "Joker" these days in Denver will turn some heads. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who is starring in the NBA Finals, is nicknamed "Joker." And Payton, referring to tight end Greg Dulich, made note Thursday of what he calls a player such as him with a "unique skill set." "The Joker" player for us is ... either a running back or a tight end with exceptional ball skills and then you can work matchups," Payton said. While didn't mention Jokic, he watched him play later that day in Game 1 of the Finals.

— There seems to be little doubt that, barring an unexpected setback, running back Javonte Williams will be ready for the start of the regular season. Williams, recovering from a serious knee injury suffered last October, has been a limited participant in spring drills and there is plenty of optimism surrounding him. So much so that the Broncos in the past week cut running backs Jacques Patrick and Tyriek McAllister. Patrick, the XFL's second-leading rusher in 2023, had been brought in just two weeks earlier as insurance for Williams.

— I would imagine the Broncos, who open the regular season Sept. 10 against Las Vegas, are watching with interest how Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo does in his recovery from offseason foot surgery. Garoppolo's backup is Brian Hoyer, 37, who would not figure to scare anyone on Denver's defense.

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What I'm hearing

— Basketball fever has gripped the Broncos, with a number of players paying close attention to the Nuggets in the Finals. So who is the best basketball player on the Broncos? How about 6-foot-6, 235-pound tight end Chris Manhertz, who averaged 8.4 points and 6.9 rebounds as a senior for Canisius College in 2013-14 and didn't play college football. "He was a great athlete with good size and a good work ethic," said Manhertz's college coach, Jim Baron. "He checked all the boxes."

— Star linebacker Micah Parsons joked to reporters that the Cowboys might move him around so much this season that he's "probably going to play like eight positions." But Karl Mecklenburg, a Broncos star from 1983-94, used to play seven different positions and it was no joke. Listed as a linebacker, he played all four linebacker spots as well as all three defensive lineman spots. "(Former defensive coordinator Joe Collier) moved me around on where he thought the ball was going," Mecklenburg said. "He had me running all over the place."

— When the Broncos signed free-agent McGlinchey and guard Ben Powers in March, one of the first things that intrigued former Denver offensive lineman Ryan Harris was the playoff experience both have. McGlinchey has appeared in six playoff games and Powers in three. "What you need is studs with playoff experience because that's where you want to go," said Harris, who was on Denver's 2015 title team.

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What I'm seeing

— No. 39 looked good when worn by Hall of Fame Dolphins running back Larry Csonka some 50 years ago. It doesn't look as good on a kicker, but that's the number Denver's recent signee Elliott Fry is now wearing. It's uncertain how long Fry, who has played in three NFL regular-season games and has the daunting task of trying to replace McManus, will stick around. Payton didn't deny that the Broncos are continuing to look at other possible available kickers while Fry is on the roster.

— Powers showed up at a recent press conference wearing a Broncos issued shirt that read "Uncommon." He said others on the team also have them. "It means winning football in the National Football League is uncommon," Powers said. "It's hard to do, and that's why there are not a lot of winners. There's one Super Bowl champ. It starts with winning and that's an uncommon thing, and that's what we're trying to do."

— Broncos low-key cornerback Patrick Surtain II seems determined to be more of a leader in his third season. "It's basically leading by example but also coaching guys up, especially younger guys that we got coming into the DB room," said the 2022 All-Pro selection. "I feel like that's a vocal point of mine, just helping the young guys adjust quickly."

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Lists

FINALS AND FOOTBALL, PART ONE

NBA Finals played at stadiums that also have hosted NFL regular-season games:

1. The Seattle SuperSonics played one home game at the Kingdome against Washington in the 1978 Finals. The Seahawks played there from 1976-99.

2. The SuperSonics again played one home game at the Kingdome against Washington in the 1979 Finals.

3. The Detroit Pistons played three home games in the 1988 Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Pontiac Silverdome. The Lions played there from 1975-2001.

4. The San Antonio Spurs played two home games in the 1999 Finals against New York at the Alamodome. The New Orleans Saints, displaced by Hurricane Katrina, played three home regular-season games at the venue in 2005.

FINALS AND FOOTBALL, PART TWO

Just two players have appeared in a pro basketball championship series and also played in the NFL:

1. Hall of Fame Browns quarterback Otto Graham played for the Rochester Royals when they won the 1946 National Basketball League championship. The league merged with the Basketball Association of America in 1949 to form the NBA.

2. Hall of Fame Vikings coach Bud Grant played for the 1950 NBA champion Minneapolis Lakers and starred for the Eagles from 1951-52, having 997 yards receiving in 1952.