Since the Denver Broncos are not heading to the playoffs, they should consider sitting key starters.
The 2018 season will come to an end in two weeks for the Denver Broncos. Then it will be the playoffs, which the team is obviously not going to be participating in.
The Broncos do not have much to play for anymore besides trying to avoid their first back-to-back losing seasons since 1972. It would be nice to see them avoid this, but in all honesty, keeping their key starters from getting severely injured is much more important.
There are also personal stats that would be nice for some players to add onto.
Von Miller (14.5) is just two sacks behind Aaron Donald (16.5) for first in the entire league in that stat category. Is the shot at the record worth risking injury to the Broncos’ best defensive player?
Probably not. However, it would certainly help Miller’s case for Defensive Player of the Year honors.
The smart thing to do, however, is to keep Miller healthy by sitting him. I realize that the move would not be ideal for most people. But what if he blows up his knee and misses time next season?
I don’t think it is worth it.
Denver has already made Shane Ray a healthy scratch, making it seem unlikely that he will play again for the team. He is set to become a free agent in 2019 after the team chose not to pick up his fifth-year option.
One player Denver should not bench for the remaining two games is rookie Bradley Chubb. Yes, he is likely to add onto his sack total for the season, but that’s not the most important thing.
The most important thing for Chubb is to continue getting experience.
The Broncos are already thin at defensive back, so sitting players in the defensive backfield would not be very smart. The team could, however, play their backups, but have their starters active for the remaining games, as the backups’ backups.
Denver has under-utilized defensive lineman DeMarcus Walker since he was drafted in 2017. He made the switch to defensive line in 2018 after being placed at linebacker as a rookie, a move that was proven to be a mistake.
Walker has played in just three games in 2018, recording four tackles and one sack.
The 2018 season has been a disaster for the Broncos. They should think about focusing on next season and developing other players.