One position where the Broncos are going to have some fun competition this offseason will be at inside linebacker, where Corey Nelson finds himself battling for a spot yet again this season.
Nelson, who played a lot more than expected last season due to some injuries, wound up with 109 snaps defensively and five ‘stops’ from Pro Football Focus, or plays which constitute an offensive failure. A seventh round selection out of Oklahoma, I don’t think many Broncos fans had huge expectations for Nelson coming in, but he did really well last year in the pre-season, and showed out well enough that the Broncos opted to keep 10 linebackers between the active roster and practice squad.
He made the 53-man roster, and wound up as a key contributor on special teams and on defense.
Nelson’s versatility at Oklahoma got him drafted in the first place. Well, that and perhaps a threat from his agent. According to this piece on Nelson from earlier this offseason, the New England Patriots might have been the front-runners for his service if the Broncos didn’t make the call to draft him.
“He wound up having a good workout at Oklahoma’s Pro Day, and his agent was in talks with the New England Patriots to possibly sign there as a free agent after the draft. But the Denver Broncos had other plans. “The Broncos called and they said we want him to try out for us and my agent was like ‘If you want him to come out, if you want him on your team, you’re going to have to draft him.’ (They said) ‘Okay, give us a sec.’”
May 27, 2015; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos outside linebacker Corey Nelson (52) warms up before the start of organized team activities at the Broncos training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The rest, they say, is history. Nelson got the call from the Broncos and his NFL career was born.
Nelson received the team’s Community Rookie of the Year award, and is the first player on the Broncos to receive such award. The rookie made a significant impact in the lives of others off the field, so much so that the team decided to drum up an award to recognize it.
According to that piece linked above, Nelson has plans to go to Haiti before the start of Broncos training camp later this month to spread some of that impact outside the Denver community into other places of need. He’s apparently also getting married.
It’s been a busy 15 months for Nelson, but things should finally be settling down for him a bit later this month, and he’ll have a chance to compete for a starting job on opening day this season if Brandon Marshall and/or Danny Trevathan are still not healthy enough to play.
The harsh reality of the NFL is, he could also be fighting for a roster spot. The aforementioned Marshall and Trevathan have locked in roster spots, but the Broncos have a wide variety of players behind them at inside linebacker, including Nelson, fellow 2014 rookies Lamin Barrow and Todd Davis, veteran free agent Reggie Walker, and former UDFA darling Steven Johnson, one of the best special teams players in Denver.
It seems the Broncos are going to have to make room at inside linebacker, but perhaps Nelson’s versatility to play outside linebacker could help him as well in the long run.
Whatever the case, there will be a home in the NFL for Nelson this year. We just hope it’s in Denver.