Denver Broncos Defense (24):
EDGE (6, 34/53): Bradley Chubb, Randy Gregory, Malik Reed, Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto, Aaron Patrick
The only question here in my opinion is, is there room for all six? The odd man out on this list would be Reed but I don’t see them dropping that player. It will depend on the numbers at other positions.
The team exercised Bradley Chubb’s fifth-year option but there may be questions at that point in time because of his durability.
Jonathon Cooper really impressed last season. Despite having just 2.5 sacks as a rookie, he had four five-plus tackle games. He should be a nice rotational piece going forward.
The Broncos will obviously not be moving on from their first selection in the 2022 NFL Draft in Nik Bonitto.
As of right now, Aaron Patrick is making the team because of new special teams coach Dwayne Stukes singling him out during a press conference. Always a good thing!
Inside Linebacker (3, 38/53): Josey Jewell, Baron Browning Justin Strnad
Gone is Alexander Johnson, and the Denver Broncos will have a new starting inside linebacker alongside Josey Jewell in 2022.
The Broncos are reportedly going to experiment with Baron Browning playing at the edge rusher position. The team’s hope is that he will be able to play a boatload of snaps for the team—basically wherever they place him in certain situations.
Jewell played just 82 snaps for the Broncos in 2021 before suffering a season-ending injury. The hope is that he’ll return to form and have a season as productive as 2020 season, when he had 113 tackles, five tackles for loss, and five quarterback hits.