Broncos dominant pass rush officially just got a little scarier

The Denver Broncos have the most dominant pass rush in the NFL in 2024. They lead the NFL with 44 sacks as a team, pass rush win rate, and blitz percentage. Before the 2024 NFL Trade Deadline, the Broncos were actually able to trade away from their surplus of pass rushers, sending Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals for a 6th-round draft pick.

They were able to make that trade not only for the depth already on the roster, but for a player waiting in the wings. Three weeks ago, the Broncos opened up a 21-day window for 2023 third-round pick Drew Sanders to start practicing again. Sanders was injured before the 2024 NFL Draft back in April and has been working his way back to full strength.

After practicing in full for the last handful of weeks, Sanders will now be officially making his return to the 53-man roster and potentially his 2024 debut against the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football.

Broncos activate Drew Sanders after cutting Greg Dulcich

We've talked about the possibility of Sanders returning in the past, but it's worth bringing up again because he's a unique type of talent. Sanders was a stud for the Broncos on special teams last year and although he started off the season as an off-ball linebacker, he transitioned to the edge as the season went along.

Now, it seems as though Sanders has put on some bulk and will be once again playing off the edge as a pass rusher for the Broncos, but we're seeing recently that those guys are being asked to do quite a bit in coverage as well. Sanders will play a versatile role for the Broncos' defense and special teams and his inclusion in the lineup only makes an already terrifying unit even scarier.

The Houston Texans were gifted eight sacks against the Tennessee Titans this past weekend and they still trail the Broncos in total sacks this season.

Sanders started off his collegiate career at Alabama as an edge player behind Will Anderson Jr. on the depth chart, so he ended up transferring to Arkansas. Arkansas made Sanders a middle linebacker who attacked the line of scrimmage and blitzed frequently, and he became an All-American in that role.

We'll see the Broncos deploy him differently than he was at Arkansas, but it's still an important addition to the defense. And the fact that he is being brought back is indicative of just how crucial this coaching staff feels about Sanders getting reps on the field. It would have been easy to just keep him shut down after an Achilles injury, but a lost season would have been a huge blow for Sanders, who basically came into the NFL as a positionless defender.

Now, the Broncos have five games to get him rolling, starting against the Cleveland Browns. The traits for Sanders off the edge are pretty outstanding overall. He has an explosive get-off with a 1.61 in his 10-yard split and his 37-inch vertical leap is indicative of his overall explosiveness. The Broncos list him at 6-foot-5, 233 pounds but my sources indicate that Sanders looks bigger than people recall seeing him.

With the amount of guys the Broncos have commanding attention in the pass rush department right now, Drew Sanders' inclusion -- even on limited snaps -- could give this team a huge weapon at the best possible time.