Sean Payton on OLB Dondrea Tillman's Two-Sack Debut: 'I Was Excited'

Dondrea Tillman made it clear that he's more than a special teams body.

Sep 22, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Dondrea Tillman (92) celebrates a turnover with safety Brandon Jones (22). / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

In the NFL, the injury bug can taketh, but it can also giveth. The Denver Broncos placed rush linebacker Baron Browning on injured reserve over the weekend, a key defensive starter.

The injury bug taketh.

But the Broncos promoted former USFL star Dondrea Tillman to the active roster, and in his first-ever NFL game vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he posted two sacks.

The injury bug giveth.

Pro sports is littered with players who were 'Wally Pipped' by the injury bug, or in other words, players who got hurt and never got their jobs back because the guy who replaced them was better. Sitting on the New York Yankees bench behind Pipp was the great Lou Gehrig. Nobody could have foreseen what Gehrig would become, but that's how Pipp's name became a verb.

That's not to say that Tillman is the next Gehrig. But if he continues to play at this level, Tillman could find himself starting opposite Jonathon Cooper on the Broncos defense.

In Tampa, Tillman was a consistent pass-rushing force off the edge, and he also totaled three solo tackles in run support. With Cooper, Nik Bonitto, and rookie Jonah Elliss the only remaining healthy outside linebackers, the Broncos promoted Tillman in hopes that he'd take pressure off the trio ahead of him and contribute on special teams.

Instead, Tillman arguably outshined them all in the Broncos' first win of the season, a 26-7 romper over the Bucs in Tampa.

“We weren't going to just let the other three play 60 snaps or 50 snaps," head coach Sean Payton said on Monday via conference call. "A guy like that was coming up; he's got to be playing in the kicking game and then getting snaps on defense. I was pleased with his effort. He's strong. I've mentioned earlier in the week, we've seen a lot from him. I was excited to see him take advantage of the opportunity.”

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Tillman went undrafted out of the NCAA Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in 2022. Finding little NFL interest, Tillman was able to keep his football career alive by joining the USFL's Birmingham Stallions. He won back-to-back USFL Championships with the Stallions before signing with the Broncos.

At the still-young age of 26, Tillman has a great opportunity. As Payton said, Tillman took great advantage of his chance to play, which always thrills coaches, and usually leads to expanded opportunities.

Browning is a talent but he's been unable to put it all together as a pro because he can't stay healthy. There's much to be said for durability and availability — two traits that great players universally share.

It hurts not having Browning, but between Tillman and Elliss, Denver's rookie third-round pick, the vacuum created by the veteran's injury could lead to the emergence of impact players. That's the poetic beauty of sports.

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