Denver Broncos: How will the defense fare in 2019?
There are plenty of new faces on the defensive side of the ball for the Denver Broncos. Will they be able to live up to expectations?
The last two head coaches of the Denver Broncos (including Vic Fangio, the current one) have been defensive-minded selections.
As a team, the Broncos were not very good the last two seasons, led by, yes, defensive-minded coach Vance Joseph. Now, however, players are buying in with Fangio’s ways.
Take defensive end Derek Wolfe’s comments for example:
.@Derek_Wolfe95: "This defense, we can be as good as we want to be. We have a lot of talent on this side of the ball, and a mastermind with the Godfather running the show."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) September 4, 2019
Yes, the Godfather. No, he’s not talking about the movie. Well, sort of. Multiple players have referred to coach Fangio as the Godfather due to his similar traits he shares with the movie character.
Wolfe is not someone who is going to say something nice in hopes that he doesn’t hurt anyone’s feelings. He’s going to say things as they are. He has shown that in previous years.
During the last couple of seasons, it was like the team was all over the place. They were not communicating well enough to execute.
Don’t get me wrong. The Broncos defense has some work to do. Yes, I know that the last five games were exhibition games. A lot of players who are no longer even on the team were playing. The players that made the 53-man roster will have to continue to work on their craft throughout the season to perfect everything.
Steven Ruiz of For The Win ranked all 32 defenses across the league on Wednesday. Guess where the Denver Broncos came in at? Ruiz placed them in the No. 2 spot behind just the New England Patriots. I can get on board with that.
Let me run through each level of the Broncos’ defense. On the defensive front, you have Derek Wolfe, Adam Gotsis, Shelby Harris, DeMarcus Walker, etc. I am especially excited to see how Walker does in his new-old role on the defensive line.
In the middle level, you have Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Todd Davis (currently injured, but expected to be ready for Monday), Josey Jewell, etc. Those first two names are the big ones. There have been a ton of predictions across the media world about how Miller and Chubb will do in 2019.
The secondary could be viewed as somewhat of a weaker spot once you go beyond Chris Harris Jr., Bryce Callahan, Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson. Still, that’s four defensive backs who should see a great season ahead of them.
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Another thing that could influence the result of the 2019 season for the Broncos is Fangio’s decision to not name weekly captains. That has the potential for players to step up vocally even if they have not done so in the past.
It’s something that could really change a team.
We will see the first real taste of the Denver Broncos defense on Monday Night Football against the division opponent Oakland Raiders.