The Broncos are now sitting at 3-9 after taking their eighth loss in a row, a 35-9 drubbing by the Miami Dolphins. Rookie punt return specialist Isaiah McKenzie was reactivated in place of Jordan Taylor to try and spark the team. McKenzie returned to action after being replaced for the past two weeks following a string of ball security lapses.
Head coach Vance Joseph thinks highly of McKenzie’s ability, and thought the young returner would help provide an answer against Miami.
“He’s a special returner,” Joseph said Monday. “You know he’s had trouble catching the ball and taking care of the football. I thought two weeks would help him overcome that. That wasn’t so.”
Instead of sparking the Broncos, he gave up points to the Dolphins. A fourth-quarter fumble trying to return a punt resulted in him having to recover the ball in the end zone, giving up a safety and putting an exclamation point on the embarrassing loss. Now, Joseph and the Broncos have decided to sit McKenzie for the remaining four weeks of the season.
“He needs more time,” Joseph explained. “I’m not giving up on Isaiah. He was drafted to be our punt returner; he’s averaged over 10 yards a punt return when he secured the football. So I’m not down on him. He’s a young player, but right now we can’t afford to chance the ball being on the ground, so we’re going to sit him back down again and let Jordan Taylor do it the rest of the season.”
Click here to watch Joseph’s full press conference, including updates to the injuries of Derek Wolf, Domata Peko and Ron Leary, and what he had to say about Trevor Siemian‘s confidence.
Video Courtesy of Denver Broncos Facebook – AMP users click here to watch on Facebook
