NFL head coaches would be the first to tell you they try not to play favorites, but it’s usually pretty clear when a player has earned their coach’s favor. For the Broncos, it’s quite obvious that receiver Lil-Jordan Humphrey is near the top of head coach Sean Payton’s Christmas list.
The receiver began his career as an undrafted free agent with Payton’s Saints in 2019 and stayed with the team until the coach retired in 2022. When Payton returned to coach Denver in 2023, Humphrey came with him. Only nine of Humphrey’s 68 career games have been played with another coach.
The team re-signed him this offseason, and that shouldn’t be much of a surprise. They’ve always been somewhat of a package deal. Payton, who is rarely outspoken when it comes to dishing out praise, has no qualms with throwing a healthy amount of it Humphrey’s way.
“It’s unusual for someone his age,” Payton said when speaking to reporters during the second week of training camp. “We do all the metrics and they wear the chips, but his weight’s down. His movement on the field, acceleration, top-end speed is higher last season and now than it was when he was here earlier. They’re able to measure that with the Catapult. So he’s extremely smart, that’s probably one of his superpowers. He can play all three positions, and he’s a big target.”
Based on his history with Payton, many think he stands a strong chance to make the Broncos roster. However, that’s far from certain with two preseason games left to go.
Lil-Jordan Humphrey Could Still Fall Victim To A Numbers Game
Humphrey might be one of Payton’s long-time workhorses, but that fact alone won’t keep him on the active roster. The Broncos have a lot of depth in their receiver room and, barring a trade of Marvin Mims Jr., he would be hard-pressed to ascend beyond WR6 in the pecking order.
That’s where things get interesting, as most teams only carry five receivers. BroncosOnSI’s Erick Trickel thinks they’ll go that route this season, and that will leave Lil-Jordan Humphrey on the outside looking in. However, he does think the 28-year-old is a lock to land back on the practice squad.
“Multiple depth receivers stood out in Atlanta, making it hard to narrow down which ones are headed for the practice squad, but as a Payton favorite, Humphrey is a given,” Trickel wrote.
He Would Be A Near-Lock To Land Back On The Practice Squad
While Humphrey clearly has brought a lot of value to Sean Payton, he’s made a minimal impact during short stints with the Patriots and Giants. He hauled in seven catches over his nine games at those stops. Needless to say, NFL teams wouldn’t exactly be banging down his door if Denver were to cut ties with him.
It’s also safe to assume the Broncos would be happy to add him back to the practice squad, where they could call him up to the active roster in a pinch if necessary. If they were to get hit hard by the injury bug, Payton would already have him on speed dial.
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