Broncos may have struck gold with overlooked 2021 trade
The Denver Broncos may have a budding star at a position of need.
The Denver Broncos are in preparation for their first preseason game this Saturday night against the Dallas Cowboys. With that comes a closer look at position battles and players fighting to make the roster.
Jonas Griffith seems to be making quite the case to be part of the starting lineup on defense.
One year ago at this time, even savvy NFL fans had likely never heard of Griffith. He was undrafted in 2020 and came from a school not necessarily known for its football, Indiana State. He also wasn’t a member of the Denver Broncos at the time.
The Broncos in fact went through the entire preseason before general manager George Paton made a deal with the San Francisco 49ers to acquire Griffith. Here’s a look back at that trade:
At the time, it looked like a meaningless deal. The Broncos gave up some late-round picks for a player many felt would just come in and be a special teams guy. But Griffith, in year two with the Broncos, is beginning to make a name for himself.
Griffith has been a standout in training camp and at this point, it would be a bit of a shock if he was not the starting inside linebacker next to Josey Jewell when the season kicks off in Seattle.
#Broncos Jonas Griffith, the last of the guys in 2021 to get a start at ILB, has taken control of starting spot alongside Josey Jewell.
— Ryan O'Halloran (@ryanohalloran) August 6, 2022
“It’s fun out there playing with him. Smart guy, especially for not playing a lot of games."https://t.co/ltXL2PXM53
Jonas Griffith may be what the Broncos have been looking for at inside linebacker
The Broncos have needed consistent and quality play at the inside linebacker position for some time now. During the offseason, Jewell, Alexander Johnson and Kenny Young were all free agents. Jewell was the only one of those guys the team chose to bring back.
That seemed a bit curious, but part of the reason for that could be due to what the team knew it had in Griffith, who may even be the only linebacker on the field when the Broncos go to some of their subpackages.
The Broncos did sign Alex Singleton this offseason, but the performance of Griffith thus far will likely relegate him to a backup and special teams role.
Through nearly two weeks of camp, Griffith looks terrific and could be a key player for the team this season.