Denver Broncos: 5 players who must step up vs. Chiefs

Malik Reed, OLB

It’s hard to believe the Broncos’ defensive front has rallied the way it has in light of the Bradley Chubb injury.

Malik Reed has been part of the committee replacing Chubb, and he’s been really solid up to this point.

The great thing is, Reed — who was somewhat of an undersized ‘tweener’ coming out of Nevada — has done a good job not only rushing the passer and getting pressure on, but playing the run, setting the edge, reading plays, and using his strength to make a play.

Up to this point, however, we have not yet seen any really ‘dominant’ pass rush display from Reed. As he continues to get one-on-one looks from opposing offensive linemen, he should be able to start taking advantage and getting pressure on the quarterback at a higher rate.

Teams are keeping two, sometimes three, offensive players in to block Von Miller, and until Reed starts cashing in on some of those matchups he’s getting with sacks and hits on the quarterback, teams are going to keep doubling and tripling Von.

Hopefully, he has a big game against Mahomes and the Chiefs. He could be a tremendous difference maker.