Predominantly Orange
FanSided

Denver Broncos: Complimentary Players that Need to Show Up

By Carl Dumler

Dec 13, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos defensive end Malik Jackson (97) and nose tackle Sylvester Williams (92) and middle linebacker Todd Davis (51) and inside linebacker Brandon Marshall (54) and defensive end Derek Wolfe (95) before a down against the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Raiders defeated Broncos 15-12. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos defensive end Malik Jackson (97) and nose tackle Sylvester Williams (92) and middle linebacker Todd Davis (51) and inside linebacker Brandon Marshall (54) and defensive end Derek Wolfe (95) before a down against the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Raiders defeated Broncos 15-12. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
Corey Nelson
Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Denver Broncos outside linebacker Corey Nelson (52) celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after beating the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 at Levi /

Corey Nelson

There is no way around it, we miss Danny Trevathan on this defense. He was the one guy this off season that I wished we would have pushed harder to try and keep. The way he plays the game is just so much fun to watch. Unfortunately, he is gone and the Broncos have been left with a bit of a void. So far this year the Broncos have tried a few different things to try and get highly quality production from an ILB not named Brandon Marshall. Todd Davis has done an adequate job but has had his struggles at times. He especially has struggled in the passing game as teams have exploited him with some mismatches.

Oct 24, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos inside linebacker Todd Davis (51) celebrates with cornerback Aqib Talib (21) after recovering a fumble in the third quarter against the Houston Texans at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 24, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos inside linebacker Todd Davis (51) celebrates with cornerback Aqib Talib (21) after recovering a fumble in the third quarter against the Houston Texans at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

This is where I turn to a guy like Corey Nelson. He is a bit undersized and can get caught in traffic trying to stop the run, but one area he has done decent at is in coverage. He is a bit more of an athlete than Todd Davis and just seems to not get as caught off guard when a RB makes a move on him in the open field. I keep thinking of the Raiders/Texans game on Monday night where the Raiders moved the RB out of the backfield near the goal line to get him a nice mismatch with a LB.  It then led to a nice easy touchdown. I could see the Raiders doing the same thing if Davis is in the game when we play them week 17.

If we are to repeat as Super Bowl champs, then to me we need another player to emerge that can help stop this from happening to us. RB’s have been an issue in coverage this year. I look at teams like the Raiders, Patriots, and Chiefs that all have RB’s that can beat you multiple ways. If Nelson can continue to improve then I think we maybe could help stop this from being our downfall in the playoffs. He must prove that he can be trusted in the big moments of the game and that he isn’t a huge liability to have in on run plays.

Home/Broncos News