Broncos Training Camp 2015: Five Most Underrated Players
Dec 28, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos strong safety David Bruton (30) reacts to a tackle in the fourth quarter against the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Raiders 40-14. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
With as much exposure as the Denver Broncos have received the last few years, it’s tough to think that certain players could still be ‘underrated’ in the public eye. Yet, with the amplified attention on Peyton Manning and superstars like Demaryius Thomas and Von Miller, there are players in Denver that are vastly underrated by general NFL fans.
We’ll be watching these players extremely closely as training camp approaches, but here are five players I think are vastly underrated in the public eye that are going to play critical roles this season for the Broncos.
5. David Bruton, S/ST
Bruton doesn’t get any recognition nationally, but great special teams players rarely do. Drafted in the fourth round in 2009, Bruton is one of the only remaining holdovers from the Josh McDaniels era, and is the type of player that we call a ‘glue’ guy.
Bruton has received solid marks for his special teams work by Pro Football Focus and has been a captain and leader for that unit of the Broncos.
He’s valuable enough that when Josh McDaniels was fired, the new regime in Denver kept him on, and then John Elway re-signed him to a nice three-year contract in 2013, which expires after this season. Entering a contract year, certainly no one will have higher expectations on Bruton than the man himself, but the Broncos are going to need him to produce in a safety unit that has some question marks yet.
Last season, there was talk that he had made his biggest leap as a safety in his time with the Broncos, and that translated to the field. Bruton easily had his best year as a defensive player in 2014 and looks to build off of that this season. Not only is he a special teams ace and team captain, Bruton is quietly an ascending role player for the Broncos’ defense and one of the more underrated players on the team.
Next: Brandon Marshall/Danny Trevathan