3. Shaquil Barrett, Linebacker
When Shaquil Barrett suffered a hip injury this offseason, not much of Broncos Country was worried because Shane Ray was supposed to be this year’s breakout defensive player.
While Barrett doesn’t ‘finish’ as many sack opportunities as Ray has in the last couple of seasons, he is an excellent all-around player that has been critical for the Broncos this season.
Let’s take a look at some numbers for Barrett.
The Denver Broncos rank first in the NFL in total run defense, and have not allowed a rushing touchdown this season. Barrett, an outside linebacker, leads the team in overall run defense grade (PFF) and also leads the Broncos with 11 total stops this season.
As a pass rusher, Barrett has racked up 18 total pressures this season, including one sack and four hits on the quarterback.
As much as we’d like to see him rack up the sacks (because he deserves it), there’s no denying the impact Barrett makes as an edge defender, especially setting the tone in the running game. He’s rarely out of position, and has given the Broncos a very tough decision to make about snap counts when Shane Ray gets healthy.