ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey is back with the Denver Broncos, who signed him off the New York Giants' practice squad this week, going from a 2-8 team to one that's 8-2.
“It's cool. I feel like I never left, honestly, I feel like I'm getting right back in the swing of things with these guys,” Humphrey said Thursday.
Humphrey is expected to play a role on both special teams and offense Sunday when the Broncos host the Kansas City Chiefs (5-4) in a showdown with the team that's dominated the division since 2016.
Humphrey played for Broncos coach Sean Payton in New Orleans at the start of his career and again in Denver in 2023-24 before he signed with the Giants in free agency last spring.
“One of his strengths is his football IQ,” Payton said. “He can play a lot of different spots, and ... you know exactly what you’re getting from him, and that’s a real good trait to have as a player. Then you can put him in these places where he could excel. It was unusual seeing him on the opponent’s sideline a few weeks back, but we’re glad to have him back.”
Humphrey played in three games for the Giants, including their 33-32 loss at Denver last month in which the Broncos scored all their points in the fourth quarter in one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history.
Humphrey said that when the Giants raced out to a 19-0 lead after three quarters that afternoon, he kept warning his New York teammates not to let up.
“I was just trying to reinforce to my guys, ‘Let’s finish,’ because I just know these guys are going to play hard until the whistle, until the clock ticks zero. It's just a resilient group, a gritty group. I just knew anything was possible. Let's just finish them, and unfortunately, we didn't do that.”
Well, now, fortunately.
Because of Denver's win that day, the Giants have now seen their losing skid reach four games, and they've lost 11 straight on the road. The Broncos have won seven straight overall and they own the league's longest home winning streak at 10 games.
“Every loss hurts. It doesn't matter how you lose, every loss is going to hurt you and it's going to stink,” Humphrey said. “But we had to do some thinking and try to figure out who we were going to be after that because you can either let that continue to beat you or let that game go and try to be better in the weeks after that.”
Apparently, there was at least some hangover from the Giants' dive in Denver as they followed that defeat with losses to the Eagles, 49ers and Bears, which cost coach Brian Daboll his job. Also, the Giants lost rookie running back Cam Skattebo to a season-ending leg injury and rookie QB Jaxson Dart to a concussion.
“Honestly, I don't know” what it's like to suddenly gain six games in the standings, Humphrey said. “I just got here. For a guy like me, there's juice always. But like in the locker room, I'm not going to say the Giants were just down because they're 2-8. There's still so much hope in that locker room. Because there's still a lot to fight for in this league, fighting for your job every day.
“There's not too much of a difference” between the Giants and Broncos “other than the records.”
Humphrey plans to keep tabs on his former Giants teammates even as he focuses on helping the Broncos end their nearly decade-long divisional title drought, something they could go a long way toward accomplishing with a win over the Chiefs on Sunday.
Humphrey said he was bummed when Skattebo got hurt and called Dart a legitimate franchise quarterback.
“Those two guys are going to be playing for that organization for a long time. They're two good players and yeah, I'm really excited to see how their careers go,” he said.
The Broncos are eager to see how Humphrey fits with the team in this second stint.
“I've always been a big fan of L.J.,” said special teams coach Darren Rizzi, who, like Payton, worked with Humphrey in New Orleans. “Whenever he's been, whether it was New England or New York, here or the Saints, he's always been a guy that's been multifaceted. So, good to see his face. Good to see a friendly face.”
Said offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi: “He's really smart, he's a good blocker, I think he's more productive than people give him credit for. ... I know he's not the flashiest player, but he's a good, solid player. You know exactly what you're getting from him. If you give him a job, he's going to get it done and that's important.”
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