Denver Broncos safeties Kareem Jackson and Caden Sterns don’t need to “compete” this year. They could be on the field at the same time more than we think.
Undoubtedly there will be a competition for the safety position across from Denver Broncos All-Pro Justin Simmons.
Kareem Jackson is the hard-hitting veteran leader that has been the starter for the past three seasons. Caden Sterns is the second-year player that made the most of his opportunities in his rookie year which made Broncos Country excited for his future.
They will both compete for the starting job but no matter who wins the other should be used frequently.
Caden Sterns was drafted last year in the fifth round of the draft out of Texas. Many thought Sterns would struggle coming out as his last two seasons at Texas were underwhelming.
Sterns silenced the doubters a bit though in his rookie year with two interceptions, two sacks, five pass breakups, and 28 total tackles in very limited work.
Sterns filled in the games that Jackson missed with injury but he also impressed the staff enough to garner playing time with the starting defense. Sterns was definitely a bright spot in what looks to be a great draft class for the Broncos.
Many were surprised to see the Broncos bring back Jackson this off-season. Nobody can doubt his leadership in the locker room and he is still able to make opponents pay with big hits but we saw him take a step back last year in coverage that hurt the Broncos in big situations.
Jackson still put up good numbers, accumulating 88 total tackles but only had one interception and a career low in pass breakups with two. Even worse it appeared on a couple of occasions that Jackson left Justin Simmons out to dry in coverage.
All things that can and will need to be cleaned up this year.
The Solution
The solution lies with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero who comes over from the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams had issues last year with depth at the inside linebacker position, which happens to be an issue for the Broncos this year as well. The Rams’ solution? Use a third safety alongside the inside linebacker.
While this could potentially allow for opposing offenses to gear up to run the ball more on a smaller defense, it wasn’t the case for the Rams last year (giving up the fifth lowest yards per carry).
So if Evero determines that the same scheme will also work in Denver then both safeties will both get work.
At this point, I’m not sure which player would be better suited for the linebacker role. Jackson has proven to be a force in the run game but his size may not be suited for the front seven.
At just 183 pounds could he handle battling offensive lineman on a consistent basis? Sterns has better size at 6 foot one and 207 pounds but we don’t know if he has the instincts that Jackson presents.
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Either way with the makeup of the defense getting Sterns and Jackson on the field at the same time will be very beneficial for the team.