Safety Devon Key, who went undrafted out of Western Kentucky in 2021 and was on several teams’ practice squads before finding a home in Denver two years ago, was named first-team All-Pro as a special teams ace at age 28.
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“Every week we give out prizes,” Payton said. “Special teams game balls, offensive and defensive game balls. His name comes up, and even in his game (in Week 18) when he came on defense. Just, consistently, quietly…”
He goes about his business and is now considered the best in the business.
Key led the league with a franchise-record 26 special teams stops, surpassing the mark of 24 special teams tackles set by Keith Burns for several seasons in the early 2000s.
“When I hear something, ‘in the history of,’ depending on where you are, but when you’re in Denver and you say, ‘in the history of,’ well, then that means something,” Payton said. “This place has played very good football for a long time, and he has tackled more people in the kicking game than anyone in history.
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“I think there will be a lot of former special teams players, former defensive players, who would say, ‘Wow. That’s something.’ There’s grit and toughness in that. Devon is one of those guys that… remember, it’s not that the opponent doesn’t recognize who they have to double-team. So that’s what’s impressive.”
Like any special teams member, Key would love to carve out a bigger niche in practice, but he embraces his role.
“Sure. I mean we’re the first play of the game, it’ll be a kickoff or a kickoff return,” said Key, one of six Broncos to earn All-Pro honors this season. “So from the first play we can go out and force a fumble on the kickoff team or make a big return on the kickoff return team and start the game the right way.
“That’s the mentality I have, just go ahead and get the guys excited, get the crowd excited.”
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Whether it’s throwing to Marvin Mims Jr. for a big return or making an impactful tackle to bury the opponent deep, two things he intends to do again on Saturday when the Broncos (14-3) host the Buffalo Bills (13-6) to kick off the NFL’s divisional playoff weekend.
“He’s playing at a Pro Bowl, All-Pro level,” special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi said. “He’s been a rock for us all season, he’s just been the model of consistency, particularly in coverage… People probably look at the stats, but his leadership and just his consistency are two things that jump out to me. He’d be on that train for sure. I think he’s playing as well as anyone right now on the core teams in the league, for sure.”
Key has proven to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the dynamic changes to kickoff rules over the past two seasons in the NFL, which have revived the era of special teams aces having a big impact on games.
“I feel like the kickoff rule changes have definitely helped me because we don’t throw touchbacks anymore,” Key said. “If you have a touchback, it goes all the way to the 35-yard line and I think one of the coaches this year said there are at least 1,500 more plays now just in the kickoff/kick return phase. So I think that’s a big part of special teams as far as making more aces.
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“Before, you’d see guys running through the end zone for touchbacks and, well, here comes the defense. Now, you get excited because you’re like, ‘What’s going to happen on this play?'”
Invariably, it’s Key who’s been in the middle of it.
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