ENGLEWOOD – When John Franklin-Myers was a rookie with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018, they made the Super Bowl.

“I’m like, ‘Shoot, the NFL is easy,’’’ the defensive end said Thursday.

Hardly. Before the 2019 season, despite having had a sack in Super Bowl LIII, Franklin-Myers was waived and claimed by the New York Jets. He then had five straight losing seasons with the Jets, who have missed the playoffs 13 straight years.

In April, Franklin-Myers was traded to the Broncos, a team that hasn’t made the postseason since winning the Super Bowl in the 2015 season. So how hungry is he to return to the playoffs?

“I’m in year seven now,’’ he said after a practice at Broncos Park. “Hungry. I’m starving. I want a buffet.”

Franklin-Myers hopes to have a feast in his first Denver season. He doesn’t deny that when the Rams made it to the Super Bowl in February 2019 and lost 13-3 to New England, he didn’t fully appreciate it.

“Bryan Cox was a big mentor of mine and he’s like, ‘Man, this NFL is hard, you got to understand you might go (to a Super Bowl) your rookie year and never go again,’’’ said Franklin-Myers, referring to the former NFL linebacker who became his mentor prior to his selection by the Rams in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. “And I’m like, ‘No, bro, I went to the Super Bowl my rookie year.’ So understanding that, and (now) I tell everybody I definitely took that for granted.”

Other than that season with the Rams, Franklin-Myers hasn’t done much winning in his football career. During his three years on the varsity at Greenville (Texas) High School, the Lions went 0-30. During his final three college seasons at Stephen F. Austin, when Franklin-Myers was playing regularly, the Lumberjacks went 13-20.

Franklin is hopeful his arrival can help the Broncos break through under head coach Sean Payton, in his second Denver season.

“Sean is super smart, so he’s helping challenge us,’’ Franklin-Myers said. “We want to play physical. We want to play with effort.”

Franklin-Myers said the losing seasons he has been through since leaving the Rams “definitely gives me a little more drive” to reach his goal.

“It’s a hard thing to do, but my main goal is to get back (to the Super Bowl),’’ he said.

Broncos sign LB Welch

Broncos owner Greg Penner is pushing for former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“We think head coach Shanahan is deserving of a spot (in Canton, Ohio) when you look at the impact he’s had on the game.’’ Penner said.

Penner made note of Shanahan, who coached the Broncos from 1995-2008 and won Super Bowls after the 1997 and 1998 seasons, being the only eligible coach not in the Hall Fame to have won consecutive Super Bowls. Also doing it were Green Bay’s Vince Lombardi, Miami’s Don Shula, Pittsburgh’s Chuck Noll, Dallas’ Jimmy Johnson and Kansas City’s Andy Reid, who is still active.

“Then you look at (Shanahan’s) coaching tree of six former assistants that are current head coaches, so it’s hard to argue with that track record,’’ Penner said.

Shanahan last coached with Washington in 2013. A Hall of Fame coach’s committee will meet in October and will name one finalist late that month. That finalist will be voted upon early next year by the 50-person selection committee for possible induction.

Penner earlier this month traveled to Canton to see former Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar inducted into the Hall of Fame. He called it “a great weekend” and said it was “terrific to celebrate Randy and to be able to do that with so many of our alumni.”