ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As wide receiver Josh Reynolds and safety Brandon Jones prepare for their first season in Denver, the veteran players plan to lead by example.
Both Reynolds and Jones arrive to the Broncos after making the playoffs in 2023 with the Lions and Dolphins, respectively. Reynolds and Jones reached that high mark after helping their former organizations build foundations to find long-term success.
In Detroit, the Lions improved from 3-13-1 in Reynolds’ first season to 9-8 in 2022 before an NFC North title and NFC Championship Game appearance in 2023. The Dolphins earned at least nine wins in each of Jones’ first two seasons, but they made the playoffs in his final two years and in 2023 posted an 11-win season for the first time in 15 years.
With the Broncos, Reynolds believes his veteran presence can help Denver build toward similar success.
“I’ve seen a lot of football, been around a lot of football, and we’ve got a young receiver room,” Reynolds said Thursday. “To be able to kind of bring that, I think it can help a little bit.”
And for Jones, he believes his mentality can set an example for younger players.
“I know I’m going on my fifth year now, but I still attack every day like I’m a rookie,” Jones said. “I have something to prove to myself, prove to my teammates. Whether it’s practice, a game [or] lifting weights, I’m going full speed, and I’m trying to show guys this is what you have to do in order to get the success that you want to have.”
Head Coach Sean Payton also believes in Reynolds’ and Jones’ on-field ability, and he pointed to the two position groups as some of the most competition-heavy areas on the roster.
“He’s long,” Payton said of Reynolds. “He has strong hands. Another veteran receiver. I like that group, and if you study it closely, it’s big across the board, and it has speed. So there’s going to be heavy competition there, heavy competition at running back. The same in the back end with the secondary. I think there’s that old saying, ‘Iron sharpens iron,’ and I feel like that’s going to happen.”
