Diontae Spencer planned to be in Denver now, getting ready for organized team activities with the Denver Broncos as he prepares for his second NFL season after a stellar four-year stint in the Canadian Football League.

Instead, the New Iberia native and Westgate High School graduate is at home in Louisiana, trying to stay in shape while the NFL has canceled OTAs and looks at possibly postponing the start of training camp in the wake of a nationwide suspension of sports associated with the COVID-19 pandemic that’s rocking the country financially and medically.

“It’s just hard because right about now I’d probably be getting ready for OTA’s, I’d probably be in Denver, just trying to get back in the routine,” he said.

Most states have instituted stay-at-home or stay-in-place orders for the general public, with some exceptions for essential businesses or trips to doctors and stores. That’s keeping him at home, where he can’t even visit his grandmother, he said, who’s in the age group most vulnerable to the novel coronavirus that’s devastated Italy and Spain and has struck more than a half-million Americans, killing more than 20,000 since the first case was reported in the United States on Jan. 20.

He’s doing what he can with gyms closed due to statewide restrictions, working out with dumbbells at home and following workouts the team sends to players.

“Pretty much if you don’t have access to everything (equipment wise), you just kind of make stuff up,” he said.

Spencer was eager to get back to work after joining the Broncos last Sept. 1 after being released on Aug. 31 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who hoped to add him to their practice squad. Instead, he had to join the Broncos after the preseason finished and the regular season was about to begin.

“It’s just unfortunate that I got there pretty much right before the season started and had to adjust on the fly,” he said. “I was behind on that a couple of weeks. It’s kind of tough in a new atmosphere, a new environment, and learning that playbook when guys have been prepared for it. I was behind the eight ball.”

But he knew his role at the time, as explained by team General Manager of President of Football Operations John Elway — being the returner and learning the offense so he could fill in wherever needed.

“I was learning multiple positions,” he said. “Now, with a new OC (offensive coordinator), a new playbook, I’m trying to get a jumpstart on it and try to prove to the organization that I can do more. It just comes with more reps, more confidence in learning my plays. I feel like once I do that, the sky’s the limit.”

At both McNeese State University and in the CFL, Spencer was a special teams star, setting a high of 365 all-purpose yards with five touchdowns in a game for the Cowboys, then smashing the CFL record for all-purpose yards with nearly 500 yards while playing for the Ottawa Redblacks on Oct. 27, 2017 against the Hamilton Tigercats. Included in his 496 yard night that broke the previous mark of 474 total yards was an incredible 363 yards in punt, kickoff and missed field goal returns plus 133 receiving yards, his third 100-yard game of the season to that point.

“It was kind of one of those things where I was just in the groove, in the moment,” Spencer said of his record-breaking CFL night. “Everything that was thrown to me I was catching. If it was a kickoff return I’m popping 50 (yards), punt returns, 40, 50, you know, every play was kind of a big play.”

At one point someone on the sidelines let the team know he was within about 43 yards of the record. He ended up making a kick return of 47 yards to break the mark.

Having had a similar night in college helped him not worry about looking to break a record or stress out about the situation. The reaction afterwards, especially in Ottawa and the CFL was crazy, he said.

“In Ottawa, there, it was like being a superstar,” he said. “It was crazy going to the grocery store. It got crazy, especially after the 496.”

But it wasn’t just returns that helped him make a name in the CFL, and he wants to expand his role with the Broncos this year.

“I’ve always felt I can play receiver. I feel like I’m an all-purpose guy, I can pretty much do everything,” he said. “That’s what I’m hoping for with the Broncos.”

Being from a small town, and never having been out of the country, the move to Canada in 2015 to join the Toronto Argonauts was huge. After two years there he signed with Ottawa as a free agent.

“For me, coming for New Iberia, that’s huge,” he said. “I just kind of took that leap of faith and made the decision to go there. I feel like going there just helped me so much. It boosted my career tremendously because I had to learn on my own and become a man. That whole experience helped me mature faster. I feel that role, going to the CFL played a big part in my life because a big part of football life is learning how to be a pro and just adjusting on the run.”

At first he was pretty scared of having to be off on his own, but it paid off, he said, in that he’d wanted to have an NFL career and now he’s working at that.

But he loved his time in Canada. Every area he lived in was safe, and the people were very friendly, not only because he was a football player, he said.

“Everybody in the community where I stayed was just so nice,” he said. “I feel like it’s just a nice place in general. Everyone’s nice. It’s just safe and it’s clean.”

Spencer said that every year he played in the CFL, he worked out for 10 or 11 NFL teams after the season, trying to get an offer. Even his record-breaking year didn’t see him get the opportunity to play in the NFL, until 2019, when the Steelers tendered him an offer.

“That whole thing was a process in itself,” he said. “It took 4 ½ years. (The offer from Pittsburgh) gave me an opportunity to go showcase my talent, and it was just fortunate, I was going to be on the practice squad and Denver claimed me, and I’m a Bronco now. It’s a blessing that my whole journey has led me to where I am now.”

Though he didn’t get to see much of the city, he enjoyed his time in Denver. The transition was smooth even though he didn’t know any of the players beforehand, though he knew of several of the better-known players by name.

“Me just going there, having to learn a new playbook, being the starting returner, opening up against Oakland on Monday night, it was going kind of fast,” he said. “I was just trying to find a place to stay, it was just getting everything situated off the field first and trying to be able to go out there and perform, that’s the life of a professional athlete. There’s a lot that goes on, and once the lights go on you have to perform.”

But his teammates helped him make the transition, and he’s looking forward to getting to training with the team once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

“Right now I’m just chilling, hopefully I can travel back to Denver and go to my place, and just get ready to get in that groove,” he said. “Right now OTA’s it looks like they’re going to be canceled, so we’ll move on to what’s next, and that’s training camp. Right now we’re just waiting for some dates, and before all that happens I just want to get back and check on my car and my place.”

With everyone starting off on the same foot with the same new plays, there are no excuses for him being behind, he said. That’s the kind of jumpstart that can help him get his career with the Broncos going.

Spencer is one of the rare New Iberia athletes who’s played in the NFL, he said, but he feels he’s had success at every level he’s played at. He’s looking forward to making the NFL the latest level he’s made his way in.