Lewis has played in more NFL games than any tight end in history yet he’s humbly accepted practice-squad role.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — No two journeys for an NFL player are alike.

The Denver Broncos have a brand new running back, Cody Schrader, a second-year pro who is on his fourth team this season. Denver also has a tight end in Marcedes Lewis, who has played on four teams in his 20-year NFL career.

Still, no two teams for any one organization are alike. Lewis has been on playoff teams in Jacksonville (two) and Green Bay (three). He has been on losing teams in Jacksonville (seven), Green Bay (two) and Chicago (two).

The 2025 Broncos team he is on now, even from the vantage point of the practice squad, is like no other.

“I’ve been around the block,’’ Lewis said this week in an interview with 9NEWS for the Broncos Huddle (6:30 p.m. Friday.) “I know what getting better looks like. I’ve been part of winning teams, I’ve been part of teams that had no directions. I’ve been part of teams that are trying to figure it out and regroup and rebuild.

“I think what makes this locker room so special is the camaraderie, the brotherhood, how close everyone is and it’s real. It’s not fake energy. You don’t have guys on one side of the locker room who are bitter because they want to get paid and other guys on this side who are happy because they’ve gotten paid.

“No, everyone is buying into one purpose and that’s to win the championship. Regardless of what you’re being asked of. The leadership is what holds everybody accountable. It’s been great to be a part of and getting here in late October and feeling my way through for the first two weeks I’m just grateful and elated that they’ve accepted me as one of theirs and I’ll lead the best way I can and give juice back to the younger players when they ask for it. I feel blessed to be here.”

The question is, Why? To play a 20th year, Lewis had to humble himself and accept a spot on a practice-squad roster. He was on the Broncos’ active 53-man roster for a week and one game. But three other games came from practice squad elevations and when Nate Adkins came back from his knee injury, Lewis was knocked back to the practice squad yet again.

He was on the practice squad last week when the Broncos beat his former Packers. He’ll be on the practice squad again this week as 12-2 Denver prepares to host his former Jaguars at Empower Field at Mile High (2:05 p.m. Sunday). 

A consensus All-American and John Mackey Award winner as college football’s top tight end at UCLA in 2005, a first-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2006, a Pro Bowler in 2010, Lewis has already played in more games (289) than any tight end in NFL history.

So why? Why accept the practice squad, which for most of his career was a place for young developmental players?

“For one, being humble is how my mom raised me in the first place or else I wouldn’t be here,’’ Lewis said, “I thought coming out, 10 years was going to be a great career. I get to 10 and I’m still feeling really good. Taking care of my body, forming a routine that I’ve been able to stick to the last 16 years.”

He found mixed martial arts, training with Chuck Liddell.

“That’s kept me hungry and peaking at the right time,’’ Lewis said. “I’m doing other things to supplement different workouts to keep myself in shape so then when camp rolls around I’m hungry for it.

“I would say to anyone who is doing this, basketball, football, whatever professionally it’s the best job in the world. And I look at life in windows and I’ve just expanded my window. I care so much about it. I live my life like I’m on a one-day contract. If I don’t give my absolute best at what I’m doing that day I can’t renew my contract for the next day. This is just a part of it, this is just a process. This is part of the reason I was put here. To do it for the people that can’t do it. To do it for the people on the couch who wish they could do it.

“When I’m done with this sport I want to say I gave it all that I had. I’ve never taken any shortcuts. I’ve always held whatever organization I’ve been with in high regard, to give it the absolute best.

“The practice squad, for my journey, I feel like I was supposed to fill this. I’ve gotten Pro Bowl, records, blah, blah, blah. Here we are now where I’m on the practice squad, I’m having a great time doing that. And when I’m done I’ll be able to tell stories later like I did this and this. And then on my way out I was on the practice squad and earning to get elevated to play in these games and earning a 20th season.”

This isn’t the first time Lewis strapped on his shoulder pads and buckled up his helmet with a large dose of humility. Once one of the league’s best pass-catching tight ends – he caught 10 touchdowns off 58 receptions and 700 yards for Jack Del Rio’s Jaguars in 2010 – Lewis extended his career a good eight more seasons by accepting a pure blocking role when he joined the Packers in 2018. He had but 11 catches, albeit three for touchdowns, his three seasons prior to joining the Broncos.

“Like you said, when I was in my pass-catching prime, I was doing my thing and I was a problem,’’ Lewis said. “Shifting now, I get to Green Bay, get there in 2018, Mike (McCartney) gets fired. They don’t really have a plan for me. … So a little uncertainty going into that following year and then they hire (Matt) LaFleur who’s a really good friend of mine and then Nate Hackett knew how to use me and how to use me and what my strengths were and got to Green Bay and they built that package for me.

“I felt like it was a resurgence and I got drafted by the Green Bay Packers. Just my love for the game was back. I knew at that moment I was going to be the point-of-contact guy, or point of attack guy and I owned it. And here we are.”

Everybody else in Lewis’ 2006 draft class have long since retired from playing. Mario Williams, the No. 1 overall pick, last played in 2016, 9 years ago. Same for Reggie Bush, the No. 2 overall selection as the previous year’s Heisman Trophy winner. Vince Young, the No. 3 pick coming off his sensational national championship performance against Pete Carroll’s USC Trojans? He hasn’t played since 2011.

A football generation is four years – that’s the length of a rookie contract – so call Lewis a rare five-generation player. The NFL game has changed dramatically at least that many times. The biggest difference in the game today compared to when he broke in?

“Just how you can attack teams offensively, and then defensively it’s more packages, more blitzes,’’ Lewis said. “It takes a little time now to study for it. I just think it’s evolving now and there’s so much to it. Even what blitzes are called and what plays, what concepts. There’s some similarities but the volume is more as we continue to evolve with the game and it’s been an honor of mine to be able to evolve with it.

“Just like any job. If you don’t have the ability to adjust and adapt you’re going to be left behind. I pride myself on that and it’s been a joy to be a part of.”

After the Broncos rallied to beat the Packers last week? Head coach Sean Payton gave the game ball to Lewis. The proud, 20-year veteran willing to humble himself on the practice squad. Marcedes Lewis thinks this will be his last year, but if familiar coach like LaFleur or Payton want him back next year? He’ll give it considerable thought. He knows his next job won’t be quite as good as the one he has now.