Denver Broncos Camp: Rookie safety Caden Sterns making a case for 53-man roster
Denver Broncos rookie safety Caden Sterns won’t start on defense in 2021–unless he finds a way to becoming the third safety and there’s an injury to either Justin Simmons or Kareem Jackson, but head coach Vic Fangio said on Thursday that Sterns is making significant progress and is doing a good job early on during Broncos camp.
Sterns had an interception off of a Brett Rypien pass on Thursday. While some will bash that aspect of it, it’s still something that is part of the plans of the defense. It shows that Sterns appears to be picking up the defense quicker than you would expect from a rookie in his second-ever training camp practice.
"“[He’s] done a good job of picking up our defense, learning it and being able to graduate from Level 1 to Level 2 and Level 3. Meaning not just knowing his job and making sure he’s doing that, but maybe putting a little extra on the Sunday and see more.”— Broncos head coach Vic Fangio (via Broncos PR)"
The Broncos are going to need this sort of play during actual games in the future. They finished the 2020 season with just 10 interceptions and six fumble recoveries. Their turnover differential was a disappointing -16, which was dead last in the league.
Sterns is competing for a roster spot along with P.J. Locke, Trey Marshall, Jamar Johnson, and Tedric Thompson, who they just recently signed. Don’t sleep on Sterns.
It’s never a guarantee for a player taken in the middle of the NFL Draft to make the final 53-man roster, but early signs appear to show that Sterns is doing a tremendous job and is potentially a star in the making. It will be up to him to continue to make big plays.
Hopefully, he will get an interception or two (or three) on either Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater sometime during the remaining camp practices. That won’t look good for the quarterbacks, but it will be great news for the secondary.
While there are many players fighting to make the roster during Broncos camp, don’t be shocked if you see Sterns be one of the draft pick hopefuls making the Denver Broncos squad in 2021. There should be quite a few from the 2021 NFL Draft, and Sterns certainly could be a gem.