ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- At the moment Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders is at that spot where supply and demand have converged.

The Broncos need, as in really, really need, someone to return punts -- so, hence the demand. And as Sunday's regular-season opener against the Baltimore Ravens approaches, the roster's supply is essentially one guy who the Broncos believe can do the job to their satisfaction.

And that's Emmanuel Sanders, who had a 101-catch season in 2014 and, along with Demaryius Thomas, is one of the Broncos' starting receivers. In an offseason when the Broncos tried a host of candidates for the job, including virtually every wide receiver who was in training camp, they have settled on the player who was essentially their insurance policy all along.

"We've never had any doubt that he could do that," said Broncos coach Gary Kubiak. "We're going to continue to work (safety) Omar (Bolden) and we'll continue to work all the guys that have been working there. ... In punt return you have a chance to make some plays. I'm looking forward to watching (Sanders) do it."

Five players caught 100 passes in the league last season and two of them -- Sanders and Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receiver Antonio Brown -- returned punts. Sanders returned just one punt, for 11 yards, while Brown returned 30 punts as he went on to lead the league with 129 catches.

"That's another guy that I look at and I say, 'shoot, he's a No. 1 and he's returned a punt, so why can't I do it?'" Sanders said. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity at hand."

Sanders missed most of the preseason with a hamstring injury he suffered early in training camp, but the possibility of Sanders being the Broncos' punt returner has been on the table for months. So, as more and more of the candidates to return punts struggled in practice and in the team's preseason games, the Broncos kept looking at Sanders as the last, best hope.

Kubiak, too, believes it is another way to get the ball into the hands of one of his best playmakers, well on the right side of the risk-reward scale.

"I also think that you look in touches," Kubiak said. "That's the most important thing. When you have a dynamic player like that, if there's any other way to get him a touch on the field and he's not a guy that, to me, needs a lot of work doing it. He's very natural doing it."

It's no small item for the Broncos, who continue to look for ways to improve field position when possible. They were one of the league's least impactful teams on punt returns last season, one of just four that did not have a punt return longer than 22 yards all season.

The Broncos have not had a player finish a season among the league's top five in punt return average since 2001 when Deltha O'Neal was fourth at 13.1 yards per return. Eddie Royal finished sixth (2010) and seventh (2009) in punt return average during his Broncos' tenure while Trindon Holliday was sixth in 2012 and Rod Smith was tied for seventh in 2004.

"Why not? It's an opportunity to get the ball in my hands and it's an opportunity to make plays, so I'm excited about it. I'm just looking forward to the opportunity."