What is the Denver Broncos linebacker depth chart fallout without Todd Davis?
The Denver Broncos found themselves a gem with Todd Davis, a castoff of the New Orleans Saints who wound up getting a second contract in Denver and becoming the team’s leader in tackles.
Davis was surprisingly released by the Broncos the day before final cuts, and merely minutes after I had published a piece looking at some guys who could be surprising cuts.
I didn’t think the Broncos would do anything quite this surprising, but here we are.
Davis injured his calf earlier in training camp and had been working his way back to practicing on a full-time basis, getting ready to help the Broncos face off against the Tennessee Titans in week one as the lead play-caller in the team’s base package.
In the ‘surprise cuts’ post, I had another linebacker — Josey Jewell — among the players who could be let go by the Broncos after their acquisition of Austin Calitro.
As it turns out, Calitro was acquired for depth as the Broncos prepared for Davis’ departure, along with the addition of $4.5 million to their current cap space number (now close to $30 million).
With Davis now a free agent, what are the Denver Broncos doing at linebacker?
Alexander Johnson is the top dog…or dino
The Denver Broncos really like Alexander Johnson and he’s going to be a three-down player for them.
Prior to Justin Strnad’s wrist injury, the Broncos’ plan was to take Todd Davis off the field when they were in the nickel package and insert Strnad into the lineup where he could bring his coverage skills to the table.
Either way, Johnson isn’t coming off the field, and he was taking over the play-calling duties in the nickel.
Now, it seems reasonable to assume Johnson will be making all of the calls, though that duty could still lie with the player taking Davis’ spot…
Josey Jewell taking Davis’ job
As Todd Davis nursed his calf injury, Josey Jewell took the lion’s share of reps at inside linebacker.
The Broncos’ coaching staff must have been pleased with what they saw, at least on run downs.
Josey Jewell was removed from the starting lineup alongside Todd Davis last year in favor of Alexander Johnson, and that decision turned out to be great for the Broncos. But Jewell is a much better fit to play the role Davis was playing as the run thumper on the inside.
Ideally, you’d love to have multiple linebackers with 4.5 speed or better who can cover like safeties, but not all linebackers are built that way. Jewell was strong in zone coverage at Iowa but like most linebackers in the NFL, he struggles in man coverage against tight ends and running backs.
The Broncos need to do what they can to avoid that kind of situation, but Jewell also needs to show progression. He’s now in line to start next to Alexander Johnson against the Titans.
Mark Barron takes over in the nickel
Justin Strnad was the Denver Broncos’ “Plan A” in the nickel defensive package, but their recent roster moves indicate they didn’t like any of their in-house “Plan B’s”.
When Strnad was hurt, the Broncos acted quickly to get Barron in the mix, and they intend on using him right away.
He has been getting a crash course in the defense and despite some wildly negative opinions about his career to this point, Barron is a veteran who should be able to at least provide competent play in Vic Fangio’s nickel package.
For such an important role and as critical as Fangio is of players, there’s at least some reason for optimism here.
At the very least, Barron deserves a ‘wait and see’ approach when it comes to his fit in the Vic Fangio defense, which has helped revive some other careers in the past.
Barron is in line to play at least 60 percent of the snaps if he is the full-time nickel linebacker.
Austin Calitro, the new guy
The Denver Broncos have been trying really hard to get Austin Calitro.
They placed at least two waiver claims on him that we know of over the last year, including once this Spring.
What is it they like so much about this guy?
He’s got decent athleticism for his bulky 6-foot, 240-pound frame, and he’s proven himself as a former undrafted free agent with some spot starting duty and special teams duty in his first two NFL seasons.
He’s got 85 total tackles and seven tackles for loss in the last two seasons as mostly a backup, but he does also have nine starts to his name.
Calitro could factor into the linebacker rotation if Josey Jewell struggles early, but for now, he will be a special teams ace and a guy who has experience starting at linebacker unlike Joe Jones or Josh Watson.