The Broncos have slipped in a surprise before their season opener against the Carolina Panthers. Forget all that consternation about finding a rookie to return kickoffs. Cody Latimer will do it instead.

“It ain’t a big deal,” Latimer said. “Just catch the ball and run.”

Latimer, though, returned only one kickoff during the preseason. And in two NFL seasons, he has returned only two kickoffs. Either the Broncos are that desperate — or they are resolutely confident in the talent on the roster.

Special teams are a difficult game in the NFL. Most clubs get by with little separation until one big play becomes two big plays — and suddenly a game is decided on kickoffs and punts. The defending Super Bowl champion Broncos believe they have one of the deepest rosters in the league. That claim will be immediately tested on special teams.

“He only had the one rep, but he took it up in there hard,” special-teams coach Joe DeCamillis said of Latimer, who returned a kickoff for 26 yards against the Los Angeles Rams in Denver’s third of four preseason games.

Last season the Broncos produced a 12-4 record by cobbling together special teams on the fly. They used three kickoff returners: Omar Bolden, Andre Caldwell and Jordan Norwood. The first two are no longer with the Broncos. The third, Norwood, seemed poised to pick up that job this summer.

But the Broncos have decided to use Latimer as their primary kickoff returner to begin the season, with Norwood handling punt returns. Norwood will be the No. 2 kickoff returner and starting wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders will be the No. 2 punt returner.

“Certain guys in the league, you don’t want the ball in their hands,” Latimer said of returners. “But I’m going back there ready to catch it every time.”

The only reason this will matter much for the Broncos is if the plan falls apart. They ranked 23rd in the 32-team NFL last season in average kickoff-return yards (21.8) and 10th in average punt- return yards (9.8). Denver won or lost on offense and defense. The Jacksonville Jaguars, for example, were better than the Broncos in both return categories (20th in kickoff returns, averaging 23.3 yards; first in punt returns, averaging 11.6 yards) and finished 5-11.

The key for the Broncos last season was minimizing damage on special-teams coverage. Norwood and Bolden each fumbled once, but the Broncos never allowed a touchdown return on special teams. They didn’t win games on special teams, but they didn’t lose any.

“It depends on how many we’ll get,” DeCamillis said. “What is everybody’s philosophy? Will they try to kick it out? Or try to get some field position for the defense?” Related Articles September 5, 2016 Von Miller and his Broncos friends plan to create more havoc for Cam Newton, Panthers in rematch

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The NFL has a new kickoff rule that places the ball at the 25-yard-line if the return team downs the ball in the end zone. So kickoff squads reacted by trying to pin kicks just outside the end zone, short of the goal line. How that affects the Broncos, on returns and in coverage, will play out starting Thursday against the Panthers.

“I don’t know,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “But Cody’s done a good job. There just haven’t been many opportunities. So we’ll see.”