Denver Broncos: Brett Rypien and 4 others who can step up big

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ENGLEWOOD, CO – AUGUST 17: Safety P.J. Locke #37 of the Denver Broncos runs during a training session at UCHealth Training Center on August 17, 2020 in Englewood, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

2. PJ Locke, S

Just ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game, the Denver Broncos promoted safety PJ Locke to the 53-man roster.

Locke was certainly prevalent on special teams in the game, even knifing his way through on a field goal attempt for a near block. He bent around the edge on that particular play and looked like a big-time NFL pass rusher might coming around the corner.

Locke only played two defensive snaps in the game, but they were meaningful ones.

On one play, he attacked the line of scrimmage and came within fractions of a second of a sack on Tom Brady. On the other play, he made a tackle on Bucs running back LeSean McCoy.

A pressure or hurry plus a tackle on two defensive snaps is nice efficiency and given the Broncos’ struggles rushing the passer, could Locke be given an expanded role defensively?

It would be fun to see with his combination of speed and aggressiveness, especially on passing downs.

The Broncos have somewhat struggled to find a consistent pass rush, and perhaps a player like Locke can come from the second level and provide a spark.

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