5 biggest surprises for the Denver Broncos during 2021 season
Denver Broncos surprise #5: LBs not named Josey Jewell or Alexander Johnson
When Josey Jewell and Alexander Johnson went down with season-ending injuries, many thought the defense was, for lack of a better term, screwed.
Not so fast!
Enter Baron Browning, Kenny Young, and Jonas Griffith, who was plucked in a trade with the 49ers.
Kenny Young was traded from the Rams, and Baron Browning was another 2021 draft pick.
All things considered, they did a marvelous job. Both Browning and Griffith showed their excellent athleticism, covering space east to west and filling gaps quickly.
Young, who isn’t quite as athletic, was still very solid too. Former head coach Vic Fangio came into the league as a linebackers coach, so I guess it should have been no surprise to see how well they played.
Many of us started to wonder if two of the three wind up as the team’s starters for 2022.
With Alexander Johnson getting older and Josey Jewell a free agent, it’s a very real possibility the Broncos do not bring back either, and instead rely on the three other linebackers.
Whatever they decided to do, it was nice to see solid contributions after the starters went down.