The Denver Broncos traded for Su’a Cravens in the offseason. Anticipation has been mounting for his return to the field after a knee injury in the preseason.
The Denver Broncos, Broncos Country, and Su’a Cravens himself have waited a long time for this.
It’s finally time for a return to the football field for Cravens, who appeared in one preseason game for the Broncos (and looked good) before going on injured reserve after final rosters were put together.
Similar to Courtland Sutton this year, Cravens was among the players the Broncos had graded as a first-round pick prior to the 2016 NFL Draft. They traded up in round one that year to take Paxton Lynch, and picked too late in the second round (last pick) to be able to get Cravens, who fell out of the first round after a stellar career at USC.
Why is everyone so excited about his return to the field?
As a rookie in 2016, Cravens played a versatile role for the Washington Redskins, making appearances in 11 games with 33 total tackles, an interception, four tackles for loss, and five pass breakups.
Dating back to his days at USC, Cravens flies around the field and plays instinctively, not unlike Josey Jewell.
He doesn’t have the elite measurables you look for in a safety prospect, but he’s one of the best football players when he’s on the field — period.
Cravens is going to need time to get his feet wet but the Broncos made acquiring him this offseason a high priority, essentially giving up a fourth-round pick to get him away from the Redskins.
He hasn’t played a meaningful down of football since the 2016 season, but when given the chance to play against the Cardinals in the preseason, he put some passion into some hits and looked like he could be a weapon for the Denver defense.
He acknowledged via his Instagram page that he is, in fact, going to play when the Broncos host the Houston Texans on Sunday. The Broncos’ secondary has lacked a bit of that elite toughness they had with guys like Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward.
With so many missed tackles and missed assignments against tight ends this season, the Broncos may finally be getting the matchup player they have coveted. Cravens is going to obviously need to stay healthy, but the Broncos also need to make sure to get him plenty of reps and put him in situations where he can make an impact.