“I’m not small”: Uniquely-sized De’Angelo Henderson making massive impression on Broncos

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — “I’m not there to carry pads; I’m there to take someone’s job.”

Remember that?

Those were the words of then rookie running back Devontae Booker at the NFL rookie premiere last season.

Interestingly, due to injuries, Booker did end up taking on the starting job and probably took the job of Ronnie Hillman on the way. Now, just a year later, another new guy is out coming for people’s jobs, but he’s not so concerned about that other part.

“‘Rook, my pads are right there’—that’s all he says,” first-year running back De’Angelo Henderson said with a laugh, speaking of expected starter C.J. Anderson.

Henderson, who doesn’t have to lean far to grab them—standing at just 5-foot-7—takes his rookie medicine, picks the pads up and humbly carries them to the locker room.

“He’s embracing the rookie role,” Anderson said with a laugh.

C.J. certainly doesn’t mind his pad valet, but during practice, he and everyone else on the team are starting to respect the bowling ball that is No. 33.

“Great vision… Wonderful vision,” explained Anderson. “Really good feet. Really, really good feet… Definitely in the play book, asking a lot of great questions… He’s starting to be confident in his game out here, so we’re excited about that.”

“Henderson, the running back, he is looking really good,” Emmanuel Sanders added. “He always seems to find the hole.”

“He’s a quick, explosive, marks out runner,” head coach Vance Joseph chimed in.

The sixth-round pick out of Coastal Carolina is turning heads, but maybe none more than the literal head of Aqib Talib.

On Monday, during one of the first plays of practice, Henderson came off the right edge with a head full of steam, hit the corner, dropped his shoulder and ran directly over No. 21 on defense.

“I didn’t know it was Talib!” He told BSN Denver, almost apologizing to the cornerback legend. “I just saw a white jersey and dropped my shoulder.”

Rumor has it, some of the defenders claim he stepped on Talib’s foot, discrediting the rookie’s blow.

“I’ll have to watch the film,” Henderson said with a laugh.

Here’s the thing, if a running back—especially one with the build of Henderson—is stepping on your foot before you have them wrapped up, you’re in trouble regardless.

Here’s the other thing, Henderson vs. Talib? That means the sixth round pick was working with the first team.

Yep, with Devontae Booker on the mend, Jamaal Charles still being eased in and Stevan Ridley still new to the room, it was the rookie sharing reps with C.J. Anderson on Monday.

“I wasn’t expecting to be taking first-team reps the second day,” he said with a big smile. “But I always have high expectations for myself, and I have high goals. For it to happen so early, I’m thankful for it, but I have to keep pushing because nothing it guaranteed.”

“[Eric Studesville], our coach, he did a great job of getting us all prepared and ready to be thrown in, so we won’t skip a beat,” Henderson added. “I think everybody is ready to be thrown in. It’s unfortunate what happened to Book but next man up.”

Booker is set to miss at least a couple weeks of the regular season with a fractured wrist, but that also means he counts toward the 53-man roster. Between Anderson, Booker, Henderson, and Jamaal Charles, you are already right at that magic number of four running backs that most teams carry on the roster. Andy Janovich, though, counts toward that number too, and special teams coach Brock Olivo already believes his spot is locked in.

Throw in veterans Stevan Ridley—who has shown flashes during his first few practices—Bernard Pierce and Juwan Thompson, and you’ve got some serious overcrowding in the running back room.

“Tough decision on the coaches,” Anderson said.

Henderson is making his part of that equation seem easy so far. Flashing an ability to fit through tight holes, explode through the hole and burst in the open field with serious speed. Speed he has a whole bunch of confidence in.

“I do. I do,” he said without a second of hesitation when asked who wins a foot race between the backs. “I’m not sure by how much, but I do.”

“I think we all have our own unique skillset,” he added. “Me, personally, I think I bring a little bit of everything at a high level. I can catch real well, I can run real well and I can block real well.”

Of all the backs, Henderson’s skillset may be the most unique. He has the bulk of a bruiser and the speed of a homerun hitter. Of course, he is missing the height of the equation, but his head coach isn’t sure if that’s a bad thing.

“As a defender, it’s hard to see the guy,” Joseph explained. “He’s behind [T] Menelik Watson, and he makes a cut, that’s a surprise for a linebacker. You watched today. It’s a surprise when he’s in the A, B, and C gap, but you can’t see the little guy. He’s fast through the hole.”

Careful with that word “little.”

“I’m shorter, but I’m not small,” the rookie said. “I can play football with just about anybody… I’ve never really been scared of too much.”

He’s got the talent, he’s got the unique skillset, and he’s most certainly has the confidence. He’s even getting there in arguably the toughest category for young players.

“He’s getting to the point where he understands the playbook,” Anderson explained. “Now it’s about situational football, and he’s getting to that point, too.”

This is where we learn that maybe C.J. is saying a bit more to De’Angelo than, “Rook, my pads are right there.”

“He’s teaching me everything,” Henderson explained. “C.J. is arguably the smartest running back in the NFL. He knows coverages, he knows fronts, he knows where everybody is going to be before the play even happens I’m learning how to take my game to a different level in terms of learning what everybody is doing… It kinda surprised me how smart he is, but I’m picking it up as I go along.”

Picking it up as he goes along, just like those pads.

Don’t be surprised, though, when he goes from carrying those pads to carrying the rock on Sundays in Orange & Blue.