This article continues the series of ranking the Denver Broncos position groups within the AFC West. Where does their secondary rank going into 2022?
The next article in the series where I rank the Denver Broncos’ position groups will take a peek at their secondary.
The last several years have seen Denver boast one of the very best secondaries in football.
Last year, they were led by Justin Simmons, perhaps the best safety in the league, and Patrick Surtain II, a young star.
This year, there may only be one new face, as K’Waun Williams comes over from San Francisco to replace Bryce Callahan, who recently departed for the Chargers.
It’s clear that the AFC West has talented teams from top to bottom, but just how good are the division’s secondary units?
With the league being a heavy passing one, it’s very imperative for each team to assemble a strong secondary. Many teams are constantly putting five or more defensive backs on the field at once, so not only do teams need talented players, but they need quality depth as well.
This has proven to be a challenge for a lot of teams. There are a few positions where the league has seen a shortage of quality players: the offensive line and the secondary.
Teams that can assemble strong units at any of these groups are probably a good team overall.
With that said, let’s rank the four secondary units in the AFC West for 2022.
Where does Denver Broncos’ secondary rank in AFC West?
4. Kansas City Chiefs
While the Chiefs don’t necessarily have a bad secondary, it’s by far the worst in the division. The departure of Tyrann Mathieu and Charvarius Ward left two gaping holes in this unit.
The Chiefs replaced them with perhaps lesser players in Justin Reid and rookie draft pick Trent McDuffie.
They also have players like L’Jarius Sneed, DeAndre Baker, and Rashad Fenton at cornerback, and Juan Thornhill and Deon Bush at safety. All in all, it’s an average unit. I would not expect this group to be particularly bad or good.
McDuffie may begin the season as their top cornerback, but L’Jarius Sneed is a talented player.
None of these players are able to stack up to what is present in the rest of the division, so that’s why they’re ranked fourth.
Kansas City obviously leans on their offense more to win games, so the pressure on their defense to perform at an elite level is simply not there.
If the offense does take a step back without Tyreek Hill, then perhaps the defense will have to play with a bit more urgency.
For now, though, their secondary is just good enough.