The Denver Broncos have a lot of star power on their defense, but two key players are eligible for new contracts at the end of this season. Both Von Miller and Malik Jackson are players who bring so much versatility and such steady play on that side of the ball, and entering contract years, the Broncos need to find a way to lock them both up.
I was doing a little film study here on this lovely Monday, and I just marveled at the talents of both these guys and how well they work together.
Miller is obviously arguably the best player on the Broncos’ roster, surpassing Peyton Manning last year in my opinion and maybe neck-and-neck with Chris Harris Jr.
As is the case with Harris, Miller is as important to the Broncos as any player. He is the player through which everything on the defense flows. Teams have nightmares trying to game plan for Miller, and for good reason. Not only is he one of the best pass rushers in the NFL today, he’s also one of the league’s best run defenders despite having questions about his size and ability to hold up against the run coming into the NFL back in 2011.
He’s such a complete player, and can beat you with speed, strength, power, quickness, inside, outside — you name it. Miller was a shell of his former self in 2013 when he was suspended, overweight, and then injured. He came back in 2014 and looked incredible, and you can imagine being back at full strength what kind of a player he will be in 2015, playing for a new contract.
What can be said about Von Miller that hasn’t already? He does everything so well. I don’t have to make any big time revelations to you about him. He’s a superstar who has rare abilities. The Broncos are lucky to have him.
Malik Jackson is the unsung star that everyone needs to get to know. He was on Pro Football Focus’ top 101 players of the 2014 season, and for good reason.
I threw on the tape of Jackson, and what you notice right away is the way the Broncos are able to use him in so many different spots. I watched the Jets game from week six of last season, and Jackson played LDE, NT, RDE, and pretty much anywhere and everywhere you can imagine on the defensive line.
He will be the anchor for the Broncos up front this year, even though to this point, he’s not been an every down player. That’s not because he can’t do it, it’s just the fact that the Broncos have such a talented defensive line, he wasn’t always required to be on the field.
There’s not a spot up front that Jackson isn’t effective. He converts speed to power, he’s agile and can play sideline to sideline, he has quickness off the ball, he uses his hands really well, and he’s just overall such a well-rounded defensive lineman.
This is a star player that’s on the rise, and with another year in the Broncos’ system in an attacking defense like the one Wade Phillips is going to run, he’s going to be even better in my opinion.
All this to say, lock these guys up, Broncos. They are cornerstone pieces for this team moving forward.