NFL teams are constantly trying to find hidden edges within the margins, and special teams coaches are no different.
Several teams have tried to take by bringing a holder onto the field in non-windy situations. NFL teams can use a 12th player on the field for the kickoff, but it has to be a holder during windy games or situations where the ball won’t stay on the tee. The holder is then required to run off the field immediately. But the league’s rulebook is ambiguous on whether a team can use a 12th player (a holder) without a tee, so teams have been using their punter as a holder to help kickers smash a knuckleball-esque kick down the field, which is more difficult to field, Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi said.
Rizzi said he hosted a call of the league’s special teams coaches last week to try and close the loophole. Rizzi said an administrative change from the NFL was not widely communicated this summer, and so teams have started taking liberties with when they put a holder on the field.
“We don’t want the ball on the edge, we don’t want the ball on the ground, we don’t want the ball (held) sideways. We want just a regular kickoff,” Rizzi said Thursday. “Amongst the coordinators, if we’re not unanimous, we’re darn close to it the way we feel about it.”
Rizzi said the coordinators have given their feedback to the NFL and the league’s Competition Committee.
Broncos return man on his NFL debut
The first call after Kolbe Katsis found out he would be elevated to the team’s 53-man roster ahead of “Sunday Night Football” was to his parents. The Oklahoma native was excited, but also “a little nervous” to be making his NFL debut in primetime.
The nerves might have popped up when he bobbled a punt against the Rams, but Katsis maintained control of the ball and returned it 28 yards. He finished the game with 146 return yards, the most by a Bronco in his debut.
Katsis had trouble collecting punts during training camp, an aspect of his game he’s “got to be better at,” Katsis told The Denver Post. He’s practiced it by catching punts from Jeremy Crawshaw and using a Jugs machine. Katsis didn’t return punts in college at Northern Arizona because he was the team’s top wideout, Rizzi said, so it’s still a “work in progress.”
Rizzi even gave the media a trivia question Thursday to prove his point.
“Who do you guys think the best return is all time?” Rizzi asked.
Hall of Fame returner Devin Hester was shouted back at him.
Rizzi pointed out that Hester had 41 fumbles in his career, including eight in his rookie season.
“It’s one of the hardest skills in the games is to catch a punt,” Rizzi said. “You see (Katsis’s) ability; he brings juice, he’s got tremendous toughness, and he’s got the qualifications for the position. We just got to work on the ball secureness.”
New Broncos linebacker “stayed ready”
Jahfari Harvey arrived in Denver on Sept. 11 for a tryout with the Broncos. While he didn’t walk away from that workout with a spot on the team, Harvey told The Denver Post he felt good about his prospects. A few weeks later, the Broncos signed him to the practice squad.
“Stay in shape and stay ready, because we’ll call you any week now,” Denver told Harvey, he said.
Harvey did that by constantly running, working on his pass-rushing repertoire and his footwork using cone drills. As for why the Broncos signed him, it’s likely because outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman did not practice Wednesday or Thursday with a hamstring injury. A source previously told The Post that Tillman’s dealing with muscle tightness and is considered day-to-day. Denver has an edge trio of Harvey, Johnny Walker and David Agoha on the practice squad that could be elevated for Sunday’s game to replace Tillman if he can’t go.
“My mindset is stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready. Because it’s football, anything could happen any week… Staying sharp so when your name is called, you’re ready to go,” Harvey said.
Harvey, 25, entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of SMU with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025. He appeared in two games for the Raiders, playing 27 defensive snaps last fall before being cut by Las Vegas this summer.
He’s already impressed by Denver’s new practice facility.
“I can tell it’s brand new. You got everything you need in here,” Harvey said.
