Denver Broncos: Don’t count out Duke Dawson in 2020
The Denver Broncos will have a completely new group of cornerbacks in the 2020 season. Don’t count out Duke Dawson as a key contributor.
The Denver Broncos made a trade in 2019 when rosters were being trimmed down with the New England Patriots for 2018 second-round pick Duke Dawson.
Dawson was basically an injury redshirt in his rookie season with the Patriots, but the Broncos liked him a lot as a prospect and had their eyes on him when they got an up-close look at him during the 2018 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
When the Broncos acquired Dawson, it could have been viewed in a variety of ways.
It could have been (rightly) viewed as insurance for Bryce Callahan, whose foot injury wound up costing him the entire 2019 season. It could have also been viewed as insurance for Chris Harris Jr., who left after the 2019 season in free agency.
It could have also just been viewed as the Broncos buying low on a player they liked in the 2018 draft class.
All of those things are true, but in Vic Fangio’s defense, you’ve got to earn your snaps. Coming in late, the odds were stacked against Dawson, but he got into his playbook and got onto the field rather quickly out of necessity.
Starting in the Broncos’ fourth game of the season against Jacksonville, Dawson was pressed into action as a slot corner, the position believed to be his best at the pro level (though he can also play outside).
He played 337 snaps between week 4 and week 12 against the Buffalo Bills, and he showed some really nice things throughout that time.
Unfortunately, Dawson was hurt in the game against the Bills, and though he came back later in the season, the Broncos stuck with the hot hand in Will Parks at the nickel position.
Cody Roark has a nice film breakdown of some of Dawson’s good and bad moments during the 2019 season on YouTube.
The Broncos could have taken a cornerback earlier than the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft and they could have gone after someone else in free agency, but to this point, that hasn’t happened.
John Elway and Vic Fangio are putting their hopes, for the time being, in their young group of cornerbacks to step up, and I love that strategy. The Broncos believed in Vic Fangio not only to change the culture of their program but also to develop players better than they had been doing in the years prior.
Dawson is a young player who was basically a rookie in 2019. He had some phenomenal moments and some other not-so-great moments. Those are to be expected and shouldn’t be held against him for his 2020 prospects.
With 19 tackles and two pass breakups, Dawson showed himself to be a valuable asset both against the run and the pass. He had some really nice man coverage against Tyreek Hill and the Chiefs, which you can see in that breakdown from Roark above.
One of the most interesting stats regarding Dawson is that in seven games where he saw substantial work defensively, he was sent on a blitz eight times. What this shows about Dawson is that he’s a player the Broncos feel they can utilize as a weapon when they are disguising coverages.
Next. Predicting the Broncos top 6 cornerbacks in 2020. dark
Although right now, Dawson is 7th on my list of the top cornerbacks on the Broncos’ roster, there’s no doubt he can rise higher and it wouldn’t be surprising at all if the Broncos felt more highly about him internally than I know about.