Kayvon Webster was largely second-guessed, now he has a "C" on his chest

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On Sunday, the Denver Broncos announced the three captains for the 2016 season. Two of them were repeat designations. Demaryius Thomas, the longest-tenured Bronco, and the most accomplished offensive player, was given the ‘C’ for the second time, and DeMarcus Ware, the longest-tenured NFL player on the roster and future Hall-of-Famer, was named captain for the third time in three years in Denver.

The third nomination may come as a surprise for some as it went to Kayvon Webster. a player who was widely questioned early in his NFL career.

Webster was drafted by the Broncos 90th overall in 2013 to play cornerback on Sundays. He initially did, getting a lot of playing time in his rookie season and earning his only two career starts at cornerback, but as Chris Harris Jr. emerged and free agent defensive backs landed in Denver, Webster’s playing time of defense diminished and many began to doubt his value as a selection in the third round.

“So proud, because at this time—he knows this—at this time last year, there were some questions about Kayvon,” Special Teams Coordinator Joe DeCamillis said Monday of the honor. “But he answered every question well and to see a guy pull that leadership up and become the player that he is and become the kind of guy he is in the locker room; it’s nice to see.”

Instead of looking for a way out of Denver or letting the situation affect his play, Webster has matured into a leader.

“It’s an honor and a privilege. I’ve come a long way,” he admitted.

Last season, in particular, Webster continued to prove he had a role as a backup cornerback and nickel corner option but also, he fully embraced the special teams side of the football. He played exceptionally well on punt and kickoff teams. The product of South Florida consistently became one of, if not the first player down to the ball each week and that continued into the playoffs. In the Broncos’ three postseason games in 2015, Webster downed two punts inside the five-yard line, forced one muffed-punt and had two-special teams stops.

“I think throughout the playoffs last season, I contributed a lot. That’s kind of what led to being a captain,” Webster guessed.

The now veteran is a soft-spoken player and his emergence on special teams has been fairly recent, but the departures of last year’s special teams captain David Bruton Jr. and longtime punter Britton Colquitt made Webster an obvious choice. In his fourth year with the team, he has watched and learned from some great leaders in Denver.

“I just watched everybody that has been a leader on our teams, starting from when I first got here and it was Peyton [Manning], and we had Champ [Bailey]. We just have had a lot of guys that can lead. I learned you’ve just got to lead by example and not to do too much talking. I can go out on the field and prove that every day.”

With Manning retiring and many veteran Broncos moving on to other teams, Webster’s new role as a captain certainly holds some real responsibility yet he epitomizes how players can make a name for themselves and earn a career despite some disappointing times. Special teams has few veterans to follow, but Webster has shown what it takes to thrive there.