ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- For many, a cellphone is life’s barometer, a gauge of how things are going and a forecast for what might be on the way.
So when Denver Broncos running back De’Angelo Henderson looked down at his phone late Thursday night, he had a good idea that an awful lot of people had seen how things were going and what might be in his future.
“I had, like, 300 text messages, a bunch of missed calls, people all over Twitter," Henderson said. “It was beyond anything I expected. I didn’t even know some of those people had my number. High school, elementary school, all kinds of people. That was pretty crazy."
The preseason always seems to have its attention grabbers -- the heroes of August who don’t always find their way into the action when the games begin to count. But there is a different feel around Henderson, who was the Broncos’ sixth-round pick in April's NFL draft.
Henderson has flashed his speed and elusiveness in a variety of practice situations and has received some wait-and-see praise from Broncos coach Vance Joseph. And then came Thursday, when Henderson popped a 41-yard touchdown run that gave the Broncos a 24-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in the preseason opener, sending his phone into a frenzy.
Henderson finished the game with 54 yards rushing on seven carries -- he also had an 11-yard run called back by a holding penalty -- and his touchdown run came on a third-and-22 play just after the two-minute warning. Asked after Saturday’s practice if Henderson had surprised him at least a little in recent weeks, Joseph said that was not the case.
“That’s been special," Joseph said. “He’s made guys miss in space, he showed explosion. That was a big-time run on Thursday night. That’s what we’ve seen from that guy from the first day he’s been at camp, so I’m not surprised he played so well."
There are many talent evaluators who say that if a running back averages better than 5 or 6 yards per carry over multiple seasons during his college career, that player has a chance to be productive in the NFL, even if he didn't play at a traditional power. Henderson averaged 6.4 yards per carry in his collegiate career, topping 1,100 yards rushing in a season three times to go along with campaigns in which posted 33, 40 and 20 receptions.
But he also went to Coastal Carolina, where the football program is still making a transition into the Sun Belt Conference and isn't eligible to play in a bowl game until the 2018 season. Henderson also happens to be 5-foot-7, a hand-wringing number for many scouts.
“I knew coming out what was against me," Henderson said. “I come from a small school, I’m not 6 foot. I knew that. But I look at it like I can’t change my height, this is how God built me and I’m happy to work with it. But I just thought, ‘Just get me somewhere and I’ll show what I can do.’ That’s kind of my approach."
The Broncos saw a running back with vision and a productive résumé. Toss in a 4.48 clocking in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine -- tied for the fourth fastest among running backs and the same time as No. 8 overall draft pick Christian McCaffrey -- and the Broncos were officially intrigued.
In the big picture, Henderson finds himself at a crowded spot on the depth chart, as the Broncos still have plenty to decide on how the workload will be divvied up.
For his part, Henderson said he’s just trying to learn and “do good things when I have the opportunity” until the choices get made.
“I knew what I was going to run at the combine, but it was fun to shock people," Henderson said. “I need to just stay calm, make sure I’m staying in that moment, playing in that play, not looking too far ahead."
