Injuries for Denver Broncos players are never fun in Training Camp, but they do open opportunities for others.
The Denver Broncos got bad news regarding linebacker Todd Davis in Training Camp on Thursday.
Davis injured his calf in practice and had to be carted off back to the locker room. The expected timetable for Davis’ recovery is still to be determined. It appears possible that Davis sustained the same injury as last year in training camp which kept him out two months. It is difficult news to hear since Davis as been one of the defense’s better players. However, the injury opens a door for a rookie linebacker to take full advantage of the opportunity.
Justin Strnad was taken in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He is an exceptional pass coverage linebacker that has plenty of speed to run sideline to sideline. Run defense is certainly where he will need to help replace Davis’ impact; however, with the instincts of Strnad and his play speed, it may not be an issue.
In fact, early in-game it seems Strnad is already making plays in both the running and passing games. Strnad must show he can be a valuable asset on all three downs to be a solid contributor in his first NFL season.
Before Davis injured his calf on Thursday, he previously spoke glowingly of Strnad’s talent and how he can transition to the NFL.
"“I think the speed. In the NFL everything is faster. The tight ends are faster. The receiver is faster. Everything is really crisp. I think he’s doing a great job with it though. I told him yesterday for a rookie to come in here and really face a challenging offense and really have things thrown out at him really fast he’s doing a great job with it. I’m going to continue to support him. I feel like he has a lot of talent and can make us better.”Todd Davis (quotes via Broncos PR)"
With Strnad’s speed and good coverage ability he very well might be the option regarding covering tight ends in this defense.
The AFC West is stacked with tight ends from two teams that can bring speed at the position.
Travis Kelce is near the top of every list with George Kittle, and Darren Waller burst onto the scene in 2019 with the Las Vegas Raiders. Strnad is versatile and fast enough there are chances he can be an option to replace Will Parks in some respects. Replacing Davis will take precedent, but with his flow of movement from Strnad sideline to the sideline, he moves just like a safety.
It is also noteworthy when players catch the eye of the head coach.
"“I’ve liked Justin so far. He’s shown some ability both in the pass defense area—the run game, we haven’t had a lot of shots of it yet. The inside linebacker, just to piggyback on the previous set of questions, it’s a position that will suffer more than others with the lack of training camp time and the lack of preseason games. He’s got a lot of work. We have to speed up the process with him. Overall, I think he’s doing well. I like what I see. A lot of that is based upon just what I see which enables me to predict. You might not be seeing it on tape or you guys watching in practice live, but I like certain things that indicate to me that he’ll be able to do it eventually.”Head Coach Vic Fangio"
For a guy that demands the best from his players as a defensive-minded head coach, that seems like a ringing endorsement. As we mentioned the run game seems to be a solid addition to Strnad’s game, but not in the least surprising based on his quickness and instincts.
With Davis to miss time, Strnad will take center stage for a larger role.