ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — In 2018, rookie Courtland Sutton eased his way into the Broncos' lineup.
He started just one of the team's first eight games, and he consistently played fewer than 80 percent of the team's snaps as he also contributed on special teams. He caught just north of two passes per game in the early stages of his career, but his workload quickly shifted when the team traded Demaryius Thomas ahead of their Week 9 game vs. Houston.
A few weeks later, Sutton's workload increased again, as Emmanuel Sanders suffered a season-ending injury with four weeks to play. Suddenly, Sutton went from a complimentary player to the team's top wide receiver.
Rookie cornerback Michael Ojemudia now finds himself in a similar position.
A Day 2 pick — like Sutton — Ojemudia actually saw substantial reps in the first half of the season as A.J. Bouye spent several weeks on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Ojemudia, who joined the team from Iowa as a physical cornerback with ideal size, started six of the team's first eight games and played every defensive snap in four of those contests.
Ojemudia had an interception wiped away against the Titans and nearly had another in Pittsburgh. He gave up a long touchdown reception to Chase Claypool in that loss to the Steelers, but he responded with several strong games. He recorded a pair of forced fumbles in Week 6 against New England, and he appeared on his way toward a strong rookie season.
But then the team's Week 9 game against the Falcons arrived, and Ojemudia — and the rest of the team's cornerback corps — struggled without Bouye or Bryce Callahan available. When the two players returned from injury, Ojemudia saw his role dissipate. Ojemudia did not play a defensive snap against the Raiders or Dolphins, as Callahan shifted outside and Essang Bassey assumed slot cornerback responsibilities.
"Whether I was either playing or not, I was always learning every week," Ojemudia said. "I went to [Head Coach] Vic's [Fangio] office and he just talked to me and said, 'Your opportunity is going to come faster than you think, so just be ready.' Every week I'm just trying to learn and get better at at least one thing."
Fangio told Ojemudia that the other lineup was better for the upcoming games, but that the team was not down on him as a player.
"'I know what kind of player you can be,'" Ojemudia remembered Fangio saying. "'Just when you get back on the field, show us what you can do.'"
December 16, 2020 at 06:42AM
https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/i-see-a-little-bit-more-confidence-in-him-right-now-michael-ojemudia-returns-to-
'I see a little bit more confidence in him right now': Back in the starting lineup, Michael Ojemudia faces big opportunity - DenverBroncos.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=little&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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