The Denver Broncos have high hopes this year. In order to accomplish those goals, they will need key contributions from players that were injured last year.
The Denver Broncos are in an interesting position as of right now, a lot of talent but a lot of positional battles that will be settled in training camp.
A few of those battles consist of players that missed a good portion of the 2021 season. So which of these injured players are ready to make the most impact in the upcoming season?
Two of the players I’ll mention were starters at one point and the other two are role players looking to seize new opportunities.
Before we get into the list we must talk about Bradley Chubb. I’ve chosen to leave him off because this is a make-or-break year for the former fifth-overall pick. Chubb is a polarizing figure in Denver and needs to remind Broncos Country of the special talents he possesses.
Chubb finished the season with a quarterback hit in all of his final four games but finished with zero sacks in his seven games. Point blank the Broncos need him to contribute heavily if they are to meet expectations.
With that being said, Let’s begin.
Injured Denver Broncos player no. 4: Josey Jewell, LB
There were questions about which Inside Linebacker would return to the Broncos. Denver ultimately decided that “The Outlaw” would return, more than likely to his starting gig.
With Alexander Johnson and Kenny Young now off the roster, it only makes sense that Josey Jewell will not only be a starter but also be wearing the green dot.
Now Jewell only played in two games (38% of snaps in week two) last year but in that small sample size, he was popping on tape.
He was playing the best football of his pro career up until the torn pectoral ended his season. It is likely Jewell if healthy will produce a 100+ tackle season and lead the Broncos in that stat.
Out of all the players on this list, Jewell is the only one with a guarantee to be a key contributor.