Come training camp in 2028, the Denver Broncos just might have to do without at least one of their players.
Tuesday, NFL owners unanimously approved allowing their players to try out to participate in the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where flag football will be contested for the first time.
No more than one player from each team can take part, a total which does not include each team’s designated international player.
So, for example, if Australia wanted to make use of Broncos punter Jeremy Crawshaw, that wouldn’t keep another Broncos player from going — assuming, of course, that the 2025 sixth-round pick is still on the Denver roster at that time.
But there isn’t much use for a punter in Olympic flag football. There’s no kicking.
It’s a five-on-five sport. The offense has a quarterback, a center — who is an eligible receiver — and wide receiver/backs. No more than two defensive players can rush the quarterback, who has seven seconds from the snap to release the ball.
And, of course, there’s no tackling. So, brute physicality is irrelevant. This isn’t a game for the linemen.
But some Broncos make sense to get the Olympic call come 2028:
FIVE BRONCOS WHO COULD MAKE SENSE FOR OLYMPIC FLAG FOOTBALL
CB Pat Surtain II
The Defensive Player of the Year is probably the most obvious choice, as the blend of speed, athleticism, reach and quickness is a perfect fit.
The notion of him being used on punt returns — deemed “idiotic” by fired special-teams coordinator Dwayne Stukes but entertained by current head coach Sean Payton — hasn’t resulted in actual usage to this point.
But as for offense, well, Surtain continues to ponder the notion.
In 2023, Surtain spoke of an interest in playing Olympic flag football — but with a catch.
“I’m only playing offense,” Surtain said then. “I run some pretty good routes and get open.
“I want to play receiver. I can play receiver. I know it; I’ve had some reps. I want to score touchdowns.”
The problem, of course, is that any Olympic flag-football team would have ACTUAL wide receivers. So, that demand is unlikely to be met with acceptance.
PS2, Olympian? Likely only if it involves PS2, DB.
WR Marvin Mims Jr.
Watching Mims burst into the open field on punt returns over the last two years makes him a no-doubter for consideration.
His ability to stop and start on a dime gives him the chance to send defenders flailing for his flag; his straight-line speed, demonstrated on his 93-yard touchdown catch-and-run against Cleveland, gives him the ability to run away from any defender he’ll face.
Broncos RB RJ Harvey(Andrew Mason / Denver Sports)
RB RJ Harvey
It’s not just his speed and elusiveness that stand out. The wild card is his background as a quarterback.
The original quarterback on a flag-football play has seven seconds to throw. But a wide receiver/back who receives the ball via a handoff, lateral or backwards pass behind the line of scrimmage has an unlimited amount of time.
So, one could picture Harvey receiving the ball from a quarterback, then using his quickness to elude rushers while other teammates break off their routes and create chaos deep as Harvey extends the play in the backfield before firing downfield.
Still, you need a primary quarterback. Which brings us to …
QB Bo Nix
Now, we’ll flip the Harvey conversation, because one aspect that helps Nix is the ability to take off and run. We saw it in bursts last year, most prominently in the Week 7 win at New Orleans. At Oregon, he had an 80-yard touchdown gallop during a 2022 win over Stanford.
YouTube video
The wheels represent a club in Nix’s bag we may see less often in the future, but on a possible flag-football team, they would be useful.
Also, we saw Nix catch a touchdown pass last year in Baltimore. When the quarterback laterals, hands off or throws a backwards pass behind the line of scrimmage to a back/receiver, the quarterback is free to run their own route.
A trick & a treat. 🎃
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/Dj3JZ6Bclu
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 3, 2024
The Broncos’ tactical creativity served Nix well, and demonstrated why he could be a nice Olympic flag-football fit.
WR Joaquin Davis
The undrafted rookie from North Carolina Central combines blistering speed — timed at 4.36 seconds at his Pro Day workout — with length at 6-foot-4 and leaping ability; his 42-inch vertical was better than that of any wide receiver who jumped at this year’s Scouting Combine.
This is a bit of a projection, but Davis’ frame and potential project well to the skill set needed in flag football.
Broncos WR Joaquin Davis(Andrew Mason / Denver Sports)