Jamal Carter shows off versatility in Broncos preseason opener

The Denver Broncos got a display of versatility from one of their prized undrafted players, safety Jamal Carter. He proved his worth at a number of spots…

After the Denver Broncos’ preseason win over the Chicago Bears last week, we wrote about the successful debut of rookie safety Jamal Carter.

Carter was flying around the field for the Broncos, leading the team with six tackles and a fumble recovery on a bad snap by Chicago.

Athletically, Carter compared in his measurables and physical makeup in the 99th percentile to the likes of Eric Kendricks (LB, Vikings) and T.J. Ward (S, Broncos). Incidentally, that exact type of hybrid position is what could wind up landing him on an NFL roster.

The name Deone Bucannon has been thrown around, even by some of Carter’s new teammates with the Broncos. We mentioned Bucannon as a comp for Carter as well, back in May:

Carter’s size and ability to play a more physical game scream ‘in-the-box’ safety, but the Broncos aren’t going to limit him to simply working in the box. They started putting him up on the front lines as an edge defender, where he was surprisingly very effective.

Of course, Carter’s size isn’t going to be ideal going up against a 330 pound offensive tackle. That would be a definite mismatch, especially in the run game. However, in obvious pass rush situations, he’s a very intriguing weapon and the Broncos made sure to get a look at him in that type of situation.

I went through some of his snaps against the Chicago Bears, and identified exactly where the Broncos were using him, because it felt like he was around the ball nearly every single play.

In the picture above, Carter is working as a rush linebacker. We saw him work in this scenario on both sides of the line, as a matter of fact. On this particular play, he was washed out in the running game completely, which isn’t anything he’s going to write home about, but this project was more about play identification.

When Carter was in a rushing position, no safety was more effective in the first week of the preseason as a pass rusher, according to Pro Football Focus. He was credited with a pair of pressures on four pass rush snaps.

Here’s Carter playing a more traditional inside linebacker role. With the Bears in a shotgun formation with three-wide, this is an obvious passing situation on third-and-long. Carter is in position here to run a delayed blitz, or follow the running back out of the backfield.

That’s a matchup the Broncos can most definitely exploit. Carter’s athleticism and physical style of play will be perfect if he can put his hips on a swivel and move with some of the quicker backs in the league.

Here, Carter is playing on the strong side. He’s not at pass rush depth here, but again the option is there for the Broncos for him to come on a blitz, or drop into a zone. This is a loaded box on third-and-short, so here the Broncos are expecting a quick pass or draw and for Carter specifically to read and react to the situation.

Next: The Value of the Broncos' Depth

There are a number of other positions Carter was used in against the Bears, but this is a little glimpse. He played with the second unit but stayed in for the majority of defensive snaps, and definitely earned himself the coaches attention with his play. There were some forgettable moments, but overall, it was a very nice debut for Carter, and his follow-up against San Francisco will be exciting to watch.