7 major takeaways for Denver Broncos as OTAs come to a conclusion
Denver Broncos OTA takeaway no. 2: Jonas Griffith solidifying starting job?
One of the biggest question marks on the Denver Broncos’ roster right now is at the linebacker position.
The team moved on from Alexander Johnson this offseason but brought back 2018 fourth-round pick Josey Jewell.
George Paton has called Jewell the “glue” of the defense so it’s no wonder that the team prioritized bringing him back on a two-year deal even after a pectoral injury prematurely ended a strong start to the 2021 season.
With so many injuries at the linebacker position last year, I think most people assumed the Denver Broncos would attack that position much differently than they actually did in 2022.
The Broncos brought back Jonas Griffith who emerged late last season as the injuries piled up.
Griffith was brought in to help a terrible special teams unit with his combination of outstanding size, speed, and all-around athletic ability, but when he got the chance to show what he can do as a full-time starting linebacker, he shined.
In 13 games with four starts, Griffith racked up:
- 46 total tackles
- four tackles for loss
- two QB hits
- one fumble recovery
There was plenty to like about the small sample size we saw from Griffith and the team obviously believes they have this position group covered despite a lack of overall experience or even substantial investment financially.
It looks like the team is expecting a breakout year from Griffith in 2022 and based on what we saw last year, it’s hard to say they’re going to be wrong.