By this point in the year, it feels as if all 32 teams are pretty much set. Free agency season ended a long time ago, the trade deadline has passed and anybody worth their weight in salt is already on a roster or someone’s practice squad.
But what about when worst comes to worst, a key contributor has gone down with injury and you don’t necessarily have the personnel to replace him? And even if you did, who replaces the guy that just replaced the guy?
If you’re a playoff contender, it doesn’t matter how many players are spending the rest of the season on injured reserve or in the training room, you need to be deep come January; you have no chance to win, otherwise.
In these situations, that leaves teams scrounging through the scrap heap, looking for anyone who can feign competence for a few weeks. Unfortunately, that’s not normally an easy task; there’s a reason why they’re not on a roster 13 weeks into the season.
But if you’re going to do it, it helps when you can call on a guy who already knows the team, the facility, the city and the players. And for the Broncos, they’re are quite a few of those guys out there.
If it came down to it, here are five ex-Denver Broncos the team could bring back right now for their playoff run:
LB D.J. Williams
D.J. Williams did not leave Denver under the best of circumstances, he’s a bit of a knucklehead and he’s not very good, but the guys on this team love him.
That’s probably one of my biggest takeaways from last Sunday’s game against the Patriots. Even with all the attention on Tom Brady and New England’s powerful offense, nearly every Broncos defender made it a point to come over and show love to Williams, who was watching from the sidelines all night.
Honestly, it was as if he’d never left the team.
Now, again, this is not a move that’s going to push the Broncos over the top. But just keep your eyes open. If, god forbid, Denver suffers a couple injuries at linebacker, don’t be surprised if they give a call to their old friend, D.J. Williams.
We’re all about that Dyme Lyfe, right?
DT Kevin Vickerson
With Sylvester Williams sidelined with an ankle sprain, there’s an obvious need for the Denver Broncos at defensive tackle, even if Darius Kilgo is a solid replacement. If Denver was to bring in anybody, Kevin Vickerson might be their guy.
Now, Vickerson’s health would have to be factored into the equation; he was originally placed on the New York Jets’ injured reserve during the preseason before being released by the team after training camp. Vickerson had been battling a hamstring injury all offseason, but if he’s been able to work himself back into shape over the last 13 weeks, he might be able to contribute on a limited basis for someone down the homestretch.
Again, though, in this type of situation, Vickerson would not be asked to come into Denver and play the role of starter, even a regular contributor; he’d provide depth, and that’s about it. But that’s something teams absolutely have to have at this time of year, especially if they have a long playoff run on their minds.
OLB Shaun Phillips
If the Denver Broncos wanted to add a little something to the back end of the pass-rushing corps, Shaun Phillips makes sense. It was only a year and a half ago that he had 10 sacks and was starting for the team against the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
Phillips is now 34 years old, and his best days are well behind him, but that doesn’t mean he can’t come in for three to four plays a game and wreck some havoc in the backfield. And really, that’s all Denver would need him for, a Lerentee McCray-type role.
Plus, even with all the talent the Broncos do have rushing the passer, it’s not as if they couldn’t use a little more depth. Both DeMarcus Ware and Shane Ray have been hobbled by injuries this season, and while Ray is probably coming off his best game as a Bronco, Ware is still trying to find his way back to the field — back injuries don’t tend to just go away, either.
Maybe Phillips is just finished, but maybe a few months off is exactly what he needed to get himself back into gear, especially if it’s in such a situational role.
S Quinton Carter
This is, in my mind, easily the most likely addition the Broncos could make. Not only could Quinton Carter provide some logical depth while T.J. Ward is out with an ankle injury, but he’s a guy who could contribute on special teams, too.
Carter isn’t a long-term option by any means, and the only playing time he’d probably ever see is on kickoffs and punt coverage, but he’s a solid 53rd man on a team’s depth chart.
The biggest issue with Carter isn’t his talent, though; it’s his health.
Following a fairly impressive rookie season, Carter missed the majority of the next two years recovering from microfracture surgery, which is one of the worst things that can happen to any athlete. He returned last year, playing in 11 games for the Broncos, but was again shut down for the season after problems with his knee resurfaced.
Now, because of all that, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Broncos just weren’t willing to take a risk on the 27-year-old safety. But still, if Ward’s ankle injury continues to linger, maybe they do check in on the former fourth rounder to see how his knee’s feeling; it couldn’t hurt.
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[adrotate banner=”10″]RB Knowshon Moreno
I’ll admit, this is entirely an emotional selection. With the way C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman have been playing the last few weeks, the last thing the Broncos need is another running back, especially when they’ve still got Juwan Thompson waiting in the wings.
But I can’t help it … I love Knowson Moreno!
I’ve seen a lot of powerful and impactful running backs throughout the years, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a running back run with more emotion than Moreno did back in 2013.
Unfortunately, like I said, it’s not going to happen, for several reasons. One, the Broncos don’t need him; they’re are several areas of deficiency on this roster, but running back is not one of them. Two, much like Carter, he’s injured. Moreno tore his ACL last season while playing for the Dolphins, and according to Rotoworld, he has planned on sitting out all of 2015 to rehab his knee.
Still, if they could coax him into returning for the final few games, it would be fun though …