Turnovers come in bunches, but turnover is the only true constant in the NFL.
The Broncos defense has learned both lessons in recent years.
Their 18-takeaway bonanza fueled a five-game winning streak in 2023. But the constant churn of coaches and personnel also played a part in the group’s hideous start to the fall. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s group was so bad early on that the mid-season rally only got the club back into contention rather than firmly into the playoffs.
The unit’s turnover this offseason is modest in comparison to recent years mostly because Joseph is back for a second year. Still, there’s plenty of new ground to cover.
The Broncos could have up to five new starters and several new role players. The middle of their defense will look different at all three levels.
It’s instructive on the level to which this group has been in tumult that inside linebacker Alex Singleton will have a new partner next to him and new safeties (mostly) behind and yet he raved about how nice this offseason has been on the continuity front.
Joseph struck a similar tone at the end of minicamp earlier this month.
“We’ve got some new guys playing, so it takes the spring and the (summer) to kind of get caught up from the previous year,” he said. “Every year the defense kind of changes. It’s based on the players. It’s always players first and scheme second. But it’s good to be in the same scheme two years in a row.”
There are several questions to answer in training camp, but here are five takeaways from the defense’s offseason.
Riley Moss looks good in the CB competition… so far
It’s not so much that Damarri Mathis or veteran Levi Wallace played poorly this summer, but rather that Moss impressed. Head coach Sean Payton, Joseph and others raved about Moss’ length. He’s got speed and athleticism, too.
Moss might have made a bigger impact as a rookie had he not had to have core surgery that cost him most of training camp. A fully healthy camp this August and he’ll be tough to unseat for the starting role opposite Pat Surtain II.
There’s one note of caution all around from secondary coach Jim Leonhard from the end of minicamp, which gives an idea of Leonhard’s approach.
“We’ve got a hungry group that’s young, they know there’s plenty of opportunities on the field as far as what the roles could be,” he said. “There’s a lot of guys that had a big offseason.”
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But…
“It’s easy right now,” Leonhard continued. “There’s no consequences. You get closer to the season, into training camp and you start playing preseason games, and that pressure starts to ratchet up a little bit. Then you truly see what these guys are about.”
OLBs know it’s time to prove it — and cash in
Payton has repeatedly insisted that 2023 wasn’t a youth movement at outside linebacker. The team just jettisoned a pair of underperforming veterans in Randy Gregory and Frank Clark and turned the reins over to several young players.
Whatever you call it, the combination of Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper and Baron Browning stepped up and showed they could hang playing full-time. Now they’ve got to show they can excel.
Browning is healthy. This time last year he was rehabbing a meniscus tear that cost him the first six games of the year. Bonitto has drawn high marks this offseason as he gears up for Year 3, and Cooper is steady. Not only that but Browning and Cooper are entering the final seasons of their rookie deals.
This group is critical to Joseph’s defense overall and should be motivated. They’ve got a chance to cash in big in more ways than one.
DL Malcolm Roach is a glue guy
The offseason program starts as a get-to-know-ya and by the time the team breaks for summer, the goal is that everyone’s close.
Well, it didn’t take long for Roach, one of Denver’s offseason defensive line additions, to get familiar.
The free agent addition from New Orleans is active, loud (”He’s a big energy guy,” Zach Allen said diplomatically) and will play a critical role on the field and in the locker room.
On early downs, his job is to help the Broncos be a lot better against the run than they were in 2023 when they finished 30th.
Off the field, Payton referred to him as a binding agent.
“He’s a really good teammate and someone who can play multiple positions,” Payton said. “He’s a guy that appreciates every day, and his teammates quickly — I talked to a few of the other guys that have been here — and very quickly he acclimated himself. I would say he endears himself to his teammates and I think that’s a good trait.”
ILB depth remains a major question
The Broncos swapped Josey Jewell for Cody Barton this spring and in the process upgraded in pass coverage ability and downgraded in certainty about the rest. After Singleton, Denver’s inside linebacker group is a set of question marks.
Jonas Griffith? Potentially an impact player if he’s healthy. But he last played in a game midseason 2022 before foot and knee injuries.
Barton? Payton said the staff has a good feel for what he does well and what he doesn’t and he’s at least depth plus a quality special teams player. Translation: He can be an asset, but it’s no sure bet he’s an every-down or even most-down player.
Justin Strnad? Good special teams player, but didn’t log a defensive snap in 2023.
Undrafted free agent Levelle Bailey drew an unsolicited mention from Payton during the offseason program. So yeah, Denver could end up being solid inside, but the path to there from this point is unclear.
Denver needs Caden Sterns healthy come September
Sterns, who missed all but two snaps of 2023 because of a torn patella tendon, had hoped to be more involved in the offseason program but he always figured to be limited. What will be interesting to watch is his participation level from the outset of training camp.
Denver’s biggest monetary outlay in free agency went to safety Brandon Jones and the team also re-signed P.J. Locke. After those two, though, the group gets young and inexperienced quickly.
At times during the offseason program it was 2023 sixth-rounder JL Skinner, who impressed on the scout team a year ago but barely played in games, and 2023 practice squad-er Devon Key playing together. If either turns into a rotational player in 2024, that’d be great news for Denver. The same is true of Delarrin Turner-Yell, a quality special teams player who wasn’t ready for defensive work a year ago. He sustained a major knee injury in Week 17 and will be out well into the season.
That all adds up to mean that Sterns should be looking at a rotational role, perhaps a sizable one, as soon as he can get cleared and as long as he can stay healthy.
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