Sean Payton Pushes Back at Notion of Broncos Being 'Snake-Bitten'

Sean Payton isn't a believer in the superstition of being "snake-bitten."

The latest injury to an already beleaguered Denver Broncos wide receiving corps didn't come as a surprise. Call it being snake-bitten or more rotten luck, but Jerry Jeudy's hamstring injury on Thursday sent all-too-familiar shockwaves through Broncos Country.

Any notion of finger-pointing was summarily dismissed by Sean Payton after Thursday's practice. Instead, Payton circled the wagons and praised his medical staff for rolling with the seemingly endless succession of injury setbacks.

“I’m pleased with where we’re at,” Payton said on Thursday. “We’ve had two significant [injuries], obviously—an Achilles and an ACL. It’s just me—I don’t believe in being snake bitten. I think we’ve had a really good offseason program. [Vice President of Player Health and Performance] Beau [Lowery] and these guys have done a great job of getting—we’ve had a number of players now all coming back in. [S] Justin [Simmons], [OT Mike] McGlinchey [and others will] all healthy and ready for Las Vegas.”

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New offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi might have been inclined to bury his head in his hands as the explosive Jeudy was escorted from the practice field on a golf cart. A silver lining emerged later when we learned that Jeudy will only miss "several weeks" instead of the entire season with a "moderate" hamstring injury.

The Broncos may have dodged a major bullet, but Lombardi was already busy identifying seasoned veteran Courtland Sutton as being the man to carry more of the load until Jeudy returns.

“Anytime you are the veteran in the room, you are counting on those guys’ leadership, example, and work ethic to bleed off into the other guys in that room,” Lombardi said. “That is a good point off the field. Then on the field, we will see how it all shakes out. I think he’s [Sutton] a guy we have been really impressed with early on in training camp. It looks like he is healthy and feeling confident. We are counting on him to be a big part of what we do.”

Considering the current run of injuries, gambling on Sutton staying healthy represents a roll of the dice for Payton and Company. The coaches will have to trust in the young talent they have on the roster or, alternatively, bring in another experienced pass-catcher. As things stand, both options will presumably remain in play, but Lombardi was quick to talk up the progress rookie wide receiver Marvin Mims, Jr. has been making during training camp.

“He was hurt the first couple of weeks of camp, but since he has been back, we have been impressed with him,” Lombardi explained. “Hopefully, he keeps developing and keeps performing as he has. We are really optimistic about him.”

In the NFL, opportunity knocks for others when they least expect it, and for the sticky Kendall Hinton, Jeudy’s unfortunate setback means he's got another chance to make the team and play. Hinton's veteran chops just keep on delivering the one-time emergency quarterback his paychecks, and Payton seemed confident that, once again he can jump in and help out.

“He’s smart. He’s savvy,” Payton said. “He’s one of those players who has a good feel. I think he locates and tracks the ball well. He knows who he is. He’s better in the slot and some of those interior option routes. The first thing I think of is he’s got really good football instincts.”

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