ENGLEWOOD – Jordan Norwood’s season-ending knee injury jumbled the Denver Broncos’ search for Trindon Holliday’s replacement on punt returns and dented the team’s depth at wide receiver.
“I’m very disappointed for him and at this point for us, selfishly,” Broncos’ head coach John Fox said. “Jordan Norwood worked very hard and had a very good opportunity to make this football team and make us better. I know he’s very disappointed just like we are. However, it’s next man up, and we move on, adjust and give somebody else an opportunity.”
That man could be undrafted rookie Isaiah Burse, who was listed behind Wes Welker and Norwood on the first depth chart of the preseason.
Given his concussion history, Welker was expected to field punts whenever the Broncos were backed up deep or the game was close, with Norwood taking the field whenever there was a chance to have a big return.
With Welker missing two days of joint practices with the Houston Texans this week for personal reasons, there’s a strong possibility Burse will get a long look Saturday night when the teams will face each other in a preseason game.
Norwood tore his left anterior cruciate ligament Tuesday while trying to make a sideline catch in the endzone on a throw from Peyton Manning. Houston cornerback Brandon Harris jumped with him and broke up the play. Norwood landed awkwardly and was carted off the field.
He was taken for a magnetic resonance imaging exam, which revealed the torn ACL, ending his season and what was shaping up as one of the summer’s best comeback stories in the NFL.
The fifth-year pro who’s been cut five times by four teams and sat out all of last season signed a futures contract on New Year’s Eve.
Norwood turned into one of the Broncos’ biggest surprises of the offseason, working his way into the receiver rotation and becoming Denver’s most consistent punt returner after the team’s decision to let Holliday leave in free agency.
Burse had a 20-yard punt return and caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Brock Osweiler against Seattle in the preseason opener. His first-team snaps increased after that, and he caught a pass from Manning in Denver’s 34-0 win at San Francisco. He is second on the team behind Demaryius Thomas with 54 yards on four receptions in the preseason.
Burse, a burner from Fresno State, had a hard time holding onto the ball during special teams’ practices at training camp. Norwood’s injury gives Burse an opportunity to make a better second impression and keep the Broncos from scouring the waiver wire for a returner.
“I try not to think about it like, ‘Oh, Jordan went down, so it’s my time,’” Burse said. “No, I don’t think like that. Jordan’s a good dude. I had a good relationship with Jordan just because of his personality, not because he was a good athlete. He’s a good person and a dude that comes out here and works hard every day, and I respect that about him, and for that to happen to him, it stinks.
“But as for me, yeah, I’m the next one in line, and I’ve got to step up.”
Burse amassed a school-record 5,873 all-purpose yards in four years at Fresno State. As a senior, he caught 99 passes for 1,026 yards and six touchdowns and returned two punts for scores.
A big return or two in the final two preseason games could burnish his résumé.
“I’ve been dreaming since I was little just to break a long one and hear the crowd yell,” Burse said. “It’s always been a dream. But it’ll come. I’m not in a rush. ... I’ll break one sooner or later.”
Burse might not have the luxury of waiting any longer to make a big impression, although he insists a big return isn’t necessary for him to make the team.
“I feel like it’s important, but I feel like they know I can do that,” Burse said. “And what I think about doing is just taking care of the ball. The returns will come, but if the offense is on the field the next play, you did your job; that’s how I look at it.
“Every special teams meeting coach (Jeff) Rodgers starts off the meeting saying, ‘Hey, Burse, what’s the most important thing in our return game?’ Just get the ball back to our offense.”
