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Denver Broncos 4 top needs in 2022 according to GM George Paton

By Sayre Bedinger

Denver Broncos general manager George Paton before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Empower Field at Mile High Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Denver Broncos general manager George Paton before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Empower Field at Mile High Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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DENVER, COLORADO – DECEMBER 12: Dre’Mont Jones #93 of the Denver Broncos celebrates after sacking Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions (not in photo) during the first quarter at Empower Field At Mile High on December 12, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Denver Broncos 2022 need no. 3: Better run defense

One of the other areas George Paton identified as areas of the team they will look to improve in 2022 is the run defense.

As the season progressed, the Broncos’ run defense seemingly got progressively worse.

They finished ranked 15th in the league in total run defense with a couple of major clunkers along the way, including giving up over 200 yards on the ground against the Eagles and 186 yards against the Raiders’ struggling run defense late in the regular season.

On the defensive line, Shelby Harris and Dre’Mont Jones are fixtures for the Broncos but beyond those two, there is definitely room for the team to upgrade.

Mike Purcell earned a new contract after the 2019 season in which he racked up eight tackles for loss along with 48 total tackles.

He’s had some injuries since then, and the production just simply hasn’t been on par with what we saw in 2019.

The Broncos added some bodies on the defensive line like veteran Shamar Stephen, who was effectively the team’s no. 3 overall defensive lineman in 2021.

One of the bigger disappointments of the 2021 season was the lack of overall playing time and development from McTelvin Agim, a third-round pick in 2020 who flashed in camp and at times during the regular season, but ultimately only played 90 total snaps.

The Broncos head into the 2022 offseason with interior defensive line among their top needs. Georgia’s mountain of a man on the interior Jordan Davis is becoming a popular option, but how high do you take a nose tackle who only plays 50-60 percent of the defensive snaps?

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