The Denver Broncos have an impressive starting lineup, but the second unit will have a tremendous impact on the game. Who should you watch for?
Over the course of the last nine months, we have looked at every single aspect of the Denver Broncos roster from player one to player 90. The Broncos, like every other NFL team, have cut their roster to the mandatory 53 players along with 16 practice squad spots, and they are ready for a week one matchup on the road against the New York Giants.
It may be a bit of grading on a curve from last season, but it feels like the Denver Broncos are healthier entering this week one matchup than they have been entering a week one matchup in any recent year.
Because the team is mostly healthy right now, they are going to have the luxury of rotating players in and out, and more than many other weeks, backup players could have substantial impacts in this week one matchup.
Which backups will have the biggest impact?
Let’s look at four.
Denver Broncos backups playing big roles vs. Giants
1. Javonte Williams, running back
Javonte Williams was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round this past year after the team moved up to get him.
After jumping teams like the Miami Dolphins, the Broncos made sure they added one of the draft’s top running backs and a guy who has earned some really lofty comparisons before playing a regular season NFL snap.
The Broncos themselves threw out names like Nick Chubb and Zeke Elliott.
Teddy Bridgewater compared Williams to Alvin Kamara.
Vic Fangio said the last running back he could trust in any role at any point in the game as a rookie was Hall of Famer Edgerrin James.
Although he’s listed behind Melvin Gordon on the team’s depth chart, I think it’s more than safe to say that Javonte Williams is going to play a massive role for the Denver Broncos against the New York Giants.
The Giants have a tough defense led by coordinator Patrick Graham, and the Broncos are going to have to run the ball well early and often to have any shot at balance in this game. Williams is going to make an impact not only in the running game but also as a pass blocker and receiver.
Denver Broncos backups playing big roles vs. Giants
2. Albert Okwuegbunam, tight end
Although Noah Fant is on the upswing and looked good at practices this past week according to onlookers, the Denver Broncos will rotate their tight ends early and often against the New York Giants.
You can expect to see plenty of Fant.
You can expect to see plenty of Eric Saubert.
Heck, especially on special teams, you can probably expect plenty of Andrew Beck.
But expect to see some good things also from Albert Okwuegbunam, a young stud who is coming back from injury in 2021.
We didn’t get to see much of the rookie out of Missouri last year but what we did see was special. Okwuegbunam was college teammates with Drew Lock but he’ll now be catching passes from Teddy Bridgewater, who certainly has no shortage of weapons to throw the ball to.
Okwuegbunam’s rare combination of size and speed is an absolute treat to watch when he’s fully healthy, and he can beat you in so many ways but especially in the red zone.
The Broncos have plenty of mouths to feed offensively, but Okwuegbunam’s ability to create mismatches should be exploited plenty against the Giants.
Denver Broncos backups playing big roles vs. Giants
3. Malik Reed, outside linebacker
Based on the team’s Thursday and Friday practices, it does seem like Bradley Chubb is going to try and play although he’s considered a game-time decision against the Giants on Sunday.
Even if Chubb plays, it’s reasonable to assume that we’ll see plenty of Malik Reed opposite Von Miller coming off the edge for the Denver Broncos.
Because of season-ending injuries to both Chubb and Miller in recent years, Malik Reed has basically been a starter for the Denver Broncos anyway.
He had a breakout 2020 season with eight sacks, 17 QB hits, and 33 pressures over the course of the year.
Although Bradley Chubb emerged as a Pro Bowl player in 2020, it’s clear that Malik Reed is more than capable of taking on a larger role whenever he’s asked to do so. Not only is he strong in the pass rush department, but Reed is also a good run defender.
In addition to Reed, don’t be shocked to see preseason star Jonathon Cooper as the Broncos look to keep their pass rushers fresh against a weak New York Giants offensive line.
Constantly bringing in fresh bodies to get after the QB could work in the Denver Broncos’ favor in this game even if both Miller and Chubb are good to go.
Denver Broncos backups playing big roles vs. Giants
4. Justin Strnad, LB
In the 2020 season, Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell played the majority of the team’s snaps at linebacker basically out of necessity.
As much time as the Broncos spend in nickel, one of these two guys should have been rotating off the field at times, but that never really happened.
The Broncos will also spend a lot of time in 2021 in their dime defensive package where another defensive back (Pat Surtain II) will likely be floated around as the other “linebacker” but when the team is in its base defense or nickel package, we should see plenty of Justin Strnad in addition to the starters Johnson and Jewell.
Strnad was supposed to take a role in the nickel defense last season before a wrist injury prematurely ended his season before it even got started.
This year, Strnad is healthy and he looked good in preseason play. He may not be the guy that absolutely shuts down tight ends and running backs, but Strnad will probably be an upgrade over Johnson in coverage, and having him on the field in nickel situations could allow the Broncos to use Josey Jewell more as a blitzer on third downs, an area of his game he really excelled in last season.
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Strnad has outstanding play speed and range and should be a factor in helping cover a couple of really good receiving backs in Saquon Barkley and Devontae Booker.