Coaches Corner: Su’a Cravens’ Versatility Will Be Key For Denver

The Denver Broncos acquisition of Su’a Cravens was a big move for the team, but his versatility as a defensive back should have you excited…

Su’a Cravens had been pushing to go to the Denver Broncos all off-season, and his wish became granted.

The Redskins traded their young safety to the Broncos which added versatility to their defensive side of the ball.

Cravens looks to be a tremendous fit for the Broncos 3-4 scheme under second year defensive coordinator Joe Woods. The plan for Cravens is to play him as a safety and a dime linebacker.

Against the New York Giants in his rookie season, Cravens displayed just how versatile he is.

Let’s go back and analyze the play. Cravens finds himself as the man cover guy against Shane Vereen. The Giants came out in shotgun (Ace Gun Left) in an attempt to spread the field and leak Vereen underneath on an angle route.

Cravens does a phenomenal job of identifying the tailback release and he sinks his hips as Vereen breaks inside.

His leverage and alignment pre-snap put him in position to jump this route from the very beginning.

As witnessed in the play above, Cravens’ initial alignment is on the interior as a linebacker. On plays where Joe Woods plans to dial up pressure, expect Cravens to be on the field alongside Brandon Marshall.

For the past two seasons, the Broncos have struggled with covering slot receivers, running backs and tight ends that weren’t covered by Chris Harris Jr.

Even with the Broncos re-signing Todd Davis, Cravens will see the field a lot this season in many big play situations.

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Vance Joseph spoke of the Broncos interest in getting an inside linebacker early in the draft doesn’t take away from Craven’s ability to see the field.

Broncos defensive backs coach Greg Williams will have a lot of options in his secondary.

Joe Woods may have Darian Stewart in on downs indicative of stopping the run, and Cravens in on passing downs.

Combine Cravens’ athleticism with Justin Simmons dynamic attributes and the Denver Broncos suddenly have a scary secondary on paper.

Obviously the biggest key for Cravens is maintaining his health and staying durable for the NFL season.

I have spent numerous hours watching film and I can see why Redskins fans are mad at the organization for letting him go.