Next man up.
That’s the most common adage heard in the NFL. Unless a team has serious luck, at some point you will hear it over the course of a season. Since the Denver Broncos had the longest preseason ever, it’s a line we’ve heard far too often since late July. After the regular-season opener at the Oakland Raiders last Monday, we’ve heard it again in regard to Ja’Wuan James and Tim Patrick, who both are out with injuries.
Enter Broncos rookie receiver Juwann Winfree, the next man up.
Winfree joined Benjamin Allbright and Ryan Edwards on Friday for Broncos Country Tonight on News Radio 850 KOA. The guys started off the conversation on Winfree’s University of Colorado Buffaloes facing the Air Force Academy on Saturday in Boulder. They then talked about what Winfree needs on Sunday in the home opener against the Chicago Bears.
“To help be an impact player, I have to bring my physicality. I have to be physical,” he said. “Tim is a physical player. He went out and made plays on special teams, he made plays blocking, and he did it doing the dirty work as well as making catches. In order to replace him, you got to be able to bring that physicality and bring that confidence. That’s what I want to bring. That’s what I feel I have. And if I get the opportunity, I’m going to go out there and show what I can do.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that I can’t do just as good as he was doing ... it’s not even about a comparison. It’s just about being able to do my job. I don’t have no doubt that I can’t do my job or good enough for us to win. If I get that chance, then I’m going to do what I have to do to show why I should be out there.”
Bonus listen
Our Joe Rowles joined the guys to preview Sunday’s game and talk about Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles.