ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — One of the favorite parts of Sean Payton's job as Denver Broncos head coach is getting to call his players to inform them they earned Pro Bowl bids or All-Pro honors, and one such opportunity this season was especially gratifying.
Safety Devon Key, who went undrafted out of Western Kentucky in 2021 and bounced around 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.
“Every week we give awards,” Payton said. “Special teams game balls, offensive and defensive game balls. His name comes up, and even in his play (in Week 18) when he came in on defense. He just steadily, quietly ..."
Goes about his business — and now he's considered the best in the business.
Key led the league with a franchise-record 26 special teams stops, besting the mark of 24 special teams tackles set by Keith Burns during several seasons in the early 2000s.
“When I hear something, ‘in the history of,’ depending on where you’re at, but when you’re at Denver and you say, ‘in the history of,’ well then that means something,” Payton said. "This place has played a lot of good football for a long time, and he’s tackled more people in the kicking game than anyone In The History Of.
"I think there’ll be a lot of former special teamers, former defensive players, that would be like, ‘Wow. That’s something.’ There’s a grit to that and a toughness to that. Devon’s one of those guys that … remember, it’s not like the opponent doesn’t recognize who they have to double team. So, that’s what’s impressive.”
Like any special teamer, Key would love to carve a bigger niche from scrimmage, but he embraces his role.
“For sure. I mean we’re the first play of the game, it’s either going to be kickoff or kickoff return,” said Key, one of six Broncos to earn All-Pro honors this season. "So, just from the first play we can go out there and force a fumble on the kickoff team or bust a big return on the kickoff return team and start the game the right way.
“That’s kind of the mindset that I have, just go ahead and get the guys hyped, get the crowd going.”
Whether it's springing Marvin Mims Jr. for a big return or making a jaw-rattling tackle to bury the opponent deep, two things he aims to do again 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 type of level,” special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi said. “He’s been a cornerstone for us this entire season, 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 just jump out to me. I’d be on that bandwagon for sure. I think that he’s playing as well as anybody right now in the core teams in the league, for sure.”
Key has proven to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the dynamic kickoff rules changes over the last two seasons in the NFL, which have revived the era of special teams aces having huge impacts on games.
“I feel like the kickoff rules changes have definitely helped me because we're not kicking touchbacks anymore,” Key said. “If you have a touchback it's coming out to the 35-yard line and I think one of the coaches this year said there's at least 1,500 more plays now just on the kickoff/kick return phase. So I think that's a big part of special teams as far as making more aces.
“Before, you saw guys just running through the end zone for touchbacks and OK, here comes the defense. Now, you kind of 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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