Denver Broncos breakout players for 2016
Taking a look at breakout players for the Denver Broncos for the 2016 season. Which guys will step up big time and make an impact for the Champs?
What players might be in line for a breakout in Denver this season? The Super Bowl champions were exactly that for a reason, and that reason is depth. Despite losing a large number of players this offseason, there are many who feel like the Broncos have improved in a lot of ways.
Gone are the short-contract free agents, and moving up are the young players who have been developing within the system. We at Predominantly Orange decided to take a look at a number of different players that could be due for a breakout in 2016…
Shane Ray, OLB
The Broncos didn’t move up into the first round in 2015 for nothing. Ray is a big time talent, and unlike lots of other first round picks, Ray had the luxury of playing behind two big time talents in Von Miller and Demarcus Ware. With Ware already sporting a back injury, and the Broncos definitely wanting to dial back the minutes for Ware this year, Ray should get a huge opportunity to take that next step towards stardom.
The tools are all there, he is big, physical, extremely fast and quick, and has a knack for getting to the quarterback. If there was one knock on him a year ago it was his over pursuit of the quarterback, which lead to some holes in the run game. To be fair, Von struggled with that his rookie year as well, as do most rookies in the NFL. In year two expect him to be far more comfortable out there, and look for him to be a much better player against the run. It has been noted this offseason as well that Ray has made a change to his diet, and has added good muscle.
Combine the comfort level, the physical aspect, and the added minutes, and we should see a star breakout. Look for double digit sacks from Ray in 2016, with Von Miller attracting the bulk of the double teams, and Ray bull rushing onto the scene.
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