Broncos HC Payton Explains Signings of WR Sherfield, S Franklin

Payton discussed why they were made targets in free agency.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Trent Sherfield Sr. (11) downs a punt at the one foot yardline during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton said he "felt like it was important" in free agency to address the oft-forgotten third side of he ball -- special teams -- with the signings of wide receiver Trent Sherfield and safety Sam Franklin, both appearing primed to play extensively under new coordinator Darren Rizzi.

"After the 2023 season, one quick way to improve your team—we were near the bottom of the league in 2022 in special teams," Payton told reporters on Thursday. "So very quickly [during] the last two years, it’s been the opposite. That emphasis—it’s easy to say, ‘We want to get better in the kicking game,’ but you have to commit to that. I’ve worked with [Special Teams Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach] Darren [Rizzi] before, and that will still be a priority for us.”

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Undrafted in 2018, Sherfield inked a two-year, $8 million contract with the Broncos on March 11. The well-traveled wideout -- on his sixth NFL club -- has caught only 86 career passes but established himself as an elite run-blocker along the perimeter as well as a core special-teamer, making all 17 appearances for the Minnesota Vikings last season.

This is why Trent Sherfield plays pic.twitter.com/Zi2Dr2ztG4

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) October 1, 2024

Franklin similarly went undrafted in 2020 and spent his first five seasons with the Carolina Panthers, notching 105 tackles and one interception (a 99-yard pick-six) while playing the majority (1,327) of his career snaps (2,109) on special teams. The Temple product signed a one-year, $1.17 million deal with the Broncos, who reportedly beat out 17 other suitors for his services.

Denver also went the extra mile to bolster Rizzi's unit, selecting former Alabama linebacker Que Robinson in the fourth round of the 2025 Draft. Robinson was praised by ex-Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban as one of the best special-teamers in school history, and Broncos general manager George Paton admitted he was drafted in part for those specialized assets.

“We’ve been seeing flashes of him the last four years at Alabama, really the last two on defense. But you look throughout his career, just the special team plays," Paton said on April 26. "I think he had 16, especially in tackles, in the last two years. You see the athletic traits, the athletic ability, the length, the speed, the way he plays, the motor he plays with. He’s played behind some really good outside backers like [Texans DE] Will Anderson, [Vikings OLB] Dallas Turner, guys like that. So, he wasn’t playing a whole lot this year, kind of clicked on defense and then obviously he got the injury, but he has all the traits you look for at that position and yet, in the meantime, he can be a hardcore special teamer so that’s what attracted us.”

Together, the troika of Sherfield, Franklin, and Robinson will easily offset the offseason departure of core specialist Tremon Smith and ensure the Broncos' special teams remains at or near the top of most league metrics this coming fall.

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