They say defense wins championships. If that’s the case, the Broncos might have a pretty good shot at it this year.
Because of quarterback Peyton Manning, I feel like the defense in Denver doesn’t get the kind of credit it really deserves. Since John Elway was brought in to make all football decisions, the emphasis of building this team through the early rounds of the draft and with the top dollars in free agency has been on the defensive side of the football.
After watching the success of the Seattle Seahawks recently, it’s no wonder.
Every single top pick of the John Elway era has been on the defensive side of the ball. In 2014, they spent $100 million in contracts on DeMarcus Ware, T.J. Ward, and Aqib Talib. This past year, they re-signed Chris Harris Jr. to a big contract extension.
Not only that, but the Broncos have gotten great production out of ‘overachieving’ players like fifth round pick Malik Jackson, sixth round pick Danny Trevathan, or former practice squad player Brandon Marshall.
From top to bottom, the Broncos’ defense looks pretty awesome on paper for this season. Here’s a projected starting lineup.
LDE: Derek Wolfe
NT: Sylvester Williams
RDE: Malik Jackson
OLB: Von Miller
ILB: Brandon Marshall
ILB: Danny Trevathan
OLB: DeMarcus Ware
CB: Chris Harris Jr.
CB: Aqib Talib
FS: Darian Stewart
SS: T.J. Ward
Key Backups: Bradley Roby, Shane Ray, Vance Walker, Marvin Austin, David Bruton, Kayvon Webster
We’ll get more in-depth to the defense as the offseason progresses, but you just look at the talent up and down the roster, and it’s clear to see the Broncos have built a championship caliber defense with excellent depth up and down the board.
What I’m most excited about is the pass rush potential of this group, including the versatility of everyone on the front seven, as well as the potential the defensive backs will have with the aggressiveness of that pass rush to make plays on an island.
Everything just seems to be aligning very well for the Broncos to have a stellar season defensively, but because of the gigantic shadow that Peyton Manning casts over the rest of this team, the Broncos are being talked about by some as the ninth best team in the NFL right now.
I guess losing Ryan Clady, the 41st ranked offensive tackle by Pro Football Focus last season, is an indicator that the Broncos are not only not the best team in the AFC, they’re behind the Ravens (???), Chiefs (?????), Patriots, and Steelers. Not to mention, Peter King has the Vikings and Eagles higher on his rankings.
I’m done.
That’s fine, keep them under the radar.
I guess no matter how many times it’s proven that defense wins championships, it won’t really matter when it comes to offseason rankings or pre-season rankings or anything. Great defenses have to prove it on the field. I’m excited for the Broncos to do just that.
Next: Del Rio: Khalil Mack Way More Physical Than Von Miller