Brandon Jones injury paving the way for JL Skinner breakout at Broncos camp

Injuries pave the way for other players to get opportunities that they may not have gotten otherwise. You never want to see players get hurt in the NFL, but it's always interesting to see what players step up when guys are unavailable. For the Denver Broncos, training camp has provided young safeties an opportunity to step up, work with the first-team defense, and really get some valuable time on task.

Brandon Jones has missed the majority of Broncos training camp with an unfortunate hamstring injury, and the overall state of the safety position feels more like a problem than an area to be optimistic at this point. But Broncos head coach Sean Payton doesn't seem to agree.

Even with the injury to Jones, the decision earlier in the offseason to cut Justin Simmons, and the more recent decision to move on from Caden Sterns, Payton is buying into the youth at this position group. Specifically, Payton was asked recently about 2023 sixth-round pick JL Skinner after the media started noticing that Skinner was getting more and more first-team reps.

“Well look. He’s one of—not just the only one, but he’s one of a handful of these guys—He’s smart. He really came on in the second half of last season. He came on in the kicking game and we started seeing him on scout team offensively. So he’s playing with confidence and he’s one of the younger guys that will be pushing. He just has to keep progressing.”

Sean Payton (via Broncos PR)

When the preseason opens up on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, many fans won't recognize the players at the safety position. You might recognize PJ Locke from last season, but beyond Locke, only the die-hards will know who is out there wearing jersey numbers 34, 26, 30, 43, and 45. It's a group of players right now that may not be inspiring a ton of confidence in the fan base, but it's clearly caught the eye of this coaching staff.

Why else would Payton and the Broncos cut a talented player like Caden Sterns?

Speaking specifically to the abilities of JL Skinner for a moment, the Broncos may have another heat-seeking missile on their hands. Skinner was supposed to be a 3rd or 4th-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft but fell in the pre-draft process due to a pectoral injury that kept him out of workouts. In fact, Bleacher Report's scouting department had Skinner ranked 97th overall in last year's class and compared him to former Notre Dame and current Baltimore Ravens star Kyle Hamilton:

"Ultimately, Skinner is a unique prospect in this class. Although he can be compared to prospects in previous drafts, he is a one-of-a-kind player. One of the easiest comparisons to Skinner would be Hamilton. Although he doesn't have the elite ball skills and coverage skills Hamilton showed, he most definitely shows up similarly in the run game. Skinner's unique size and versatility will put him among the top safeties in the draft, but he will still need to refine his skills at the next level."

Bleacher Report Scouting Team

Pro Football Focus had Skinner as the 4th-best safety in the entire 2023 class at one point.

In situations like this, it's important to remember to dust off your scouting reports and remember what had you excited about a prospect to begin with. Skinner was effectively redshirted as a rookie in the NFL and showed growth over the course of the year. Now, he might be ready to take on a much more expanded role than anyone could have anticipated going into the offseason.