Broncos defensive bios: New additions mean defense could dominate in 2021

The Broncos acted accordingly to their worst decorativeness successful points per crippled allowed (25th) since 2010: They loaded up connected defense. New wide manager George Paton re-signed antiaircraft extremity Shelby Harris and information Justin Simmons, retained extracurricular linebacker Von Miller and information Kareem Jackson and drafted cornerback Pat Surtain II ninth overall. All successful the effort to dilatory down AFC West quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City), Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers) and Derek Carr (Las Vegas).

Defensive end

Dre’Mont Jones | 93

6-3, 281, 24, 3rd season, Ohio State

Ask astir the Broncos installation who the biggest breakout player’s going to beryllium successful 2021, and the reply is usually Jones. After 6 1/2 sacks successful a reserve relation past year, Jones is simply a starter and Von Miller believes the third-round prime tin beryllium a “great” pass-rusher.

Shamar Stephen | 99

6-5, 309, 30, 8th season, Connecticut

One of respective ex-Vikings that GM George Paton signed this offseason, Stephen brings plentifulness of acquisition arsenic Jones’ backup. Stephen started 16 games for Minnesota past twelvemonth and has 173 tackles and 4.5 sacks crossed 98 games.

Nose tackle

Mike Purcell | 98

6-3, 328, 30, 6th season, Wyoming

Purcell was rewarded with a three-year, $11.5 cardinal hold past October, but helium suffered a season-ending ft fracture a fewer weeks later. Denver is counting connected Purcell to beryllium the disruptive, run-stuffing unit that earned him the starting occupation aboriginal successful 2019.

DeShawn Williams | 90

6-1, 291, 28, 4th season, Clemson

Williams signed with the Broncos past twelvemonth arsenic a escaped cause and came connected to capable successful aft Purcell’s season-ending injury. A coagulated preseason this twelvemonth cemented his roster spot and gives the Broncos assurance successful their extent astatine chemoreceptor tackle.

Defensive end

Shelby Harris | 96

6-1, 299, 30, 7th season, Illinois State

Harris signed a three-year, $27 cardinal declaration that volition wage him $10 cardinal successful 2021, truthful the Broncos expect him to beryllium a force. His pass-batting skills are among the champion successful the league, and helium had 2.5 sacks successful 11 games successful 2020.

McTelvin Agim | 95

6-3, 300, 23, 2nd season, Arkansas

Despite disarray connected the Broncos’ D-line past year, Agim played 13% of antiaircraft snaps, an denotation Fangio & Co. didn’t afloat spot him. But Agim showed immense maturation during campy and the preseason, and he’ll called connected arsenic a backup successful 2021.

Jonathan Harris | No. 92

6-5, 295, 25, 2nd season, Lindenwood

The Broncos claimed Harris disconnected waivers successful 2019 and though helium appeared successful 3 games that season, helium was connected the signifier squad for each of 2020. He intelligibly impressed Broncos coaches capable during grooming campy to marque the roster arsenic a D-line reserve.

Outside linebacker

Bradley Chubb | 55

6-4, 275, 25, 4th season, N.C. State

Chubb is coming disconnected his archetypal Pro Bowl play aft registering 7 1/2 sacks and 9 tackles for nonaccomplishment crossed 14 games past year. His ankle seemingly healed from May surgery, Chubb expects himself to beryllium a double-digit sack force.

Jonathon Cooper | 53

6-4, 257, 23, Rookie, Ohio State

The Broncos drafted Cooper successful the seventh circular this twelvemonth and helium underwent 3 bosom ablation surgeries that outgo him astir of the offseason. Now healthy, Denver is expecting the high-motor Cooper to lend successful the walk rush.

Andre Mintze | 91

6-3, 246, 22, Rookie, Vanderbilt

The versatile and diversion Mintze proved his worth connected peculiar teams and arsenic a backup borderline rusher successful the preseason. By making the team, the Broncos person had astatine slightest 1 undrafted escaped cause connected the archetypal progressive roster successful 17 retired of the past 18 seasons.

Inside linebacker

Josey Jewell | 47

6-1, 236, 26, 4th season, Iowa

Jewell is coming disconnected his champion pro play yet, starting each 16 games portion making 113 tackles and 2 sacks. The Broncos volition trust connected him to pb the antiaircraft calls, and Jewell volition beryllium pushed by the younger and susceptible Strnad.

Justin Strnad | 40

6-3, 235, 24, 2nd season, Wake Forest

Strnad missed his full rookie play due to the fact that of a wrist injury, but came backmost steadfast for 2021 and got plentifulness of reps with the No. 1 defence passim grooming camp. His magnitude and athleticism springiness him upside astatine the position.

Inside linebacker

Alexander Johnson | 45

6-2, 255, 29, 4th season, Tennessee

After racking up a team-leading 124 tackles successful his archetypal afloat twelvemonth arsenic an NFL starter, the dinosaur roar is back. Johnson has the talent, but the Broncos request him to proceed to marque strides successful his reads and wide discipline.

Baron Browning | 56

6-3, 240, 22, Rookie, Ohio State

Another crushed for the Broncos’ optimism regarding wrong backer extent is Browning, a third-round prime this year. A limb wounded delayed Browning’s debut, but helium yet got steadfast successful grooming campy and played good successful the preseason.

Jonas Griffith | 50

6-4, 250, 24, 2nd season, Indiana State

Acquired via commercialized from San Francisco successful a moved that progressive swapped draught picks, Griffith spent clip connected the 49ers’ signifier squad past twelvemonth but has yet to look successful a regular-season game. His accomplishment is an effort to boost peculiar teams coverage.

Outside linebacker

Von Miller | 58

6-3, 250, 32, 11th season, Texas A&M

Denver’s longest-tenured subordinate had his enactment picked up for the last play of a six-year deal. The team’s all-time sacks person (106) missed past twelvemonth with an ankle wounded and is retired to beryllium helium inactive has plentifulness near successful the tank.

Malik Reed | 57

6-2, 235, 25, 3rd season, Nevada

After making the Broncos with a beardown grooming campy arsenic an undrafted escaped cause successful 2019, Reed has continually improved implicit the past 2 seasons. He’s played successful 31 games, with 21 starts, portion stepping up to capable successful for the injured Chubb and Miller.

Cornerback

Ronald Darby | 21

5-11, 193, 27, 7th season, Florida State

Darby signed a three-year, $30 cardinal woody this offseason to beryllium the team’s apical cornerback other Kyle Fuller. Expectations are precocious for Darby, who has 8 vocation interceptions crossed six years successful Buffalo, Philadelphia and Washington.

Bryce Callahan | 29

5-9, 188, 29, 7th season, Rice

Callahan’s archetypal play successful Denver was a bust aft helium missed the full 2019 slate with a ft injury. Another ft wounded constricted him to 10 games past year, but helium had 2 picks. He projects to beryllium the Broncos’ 4th cornerback and apical nickel back.

Kary Vincent Jr. | 35

5-10, 189, 22, Rookie, Louisiana State

Vincent began grooming campy connected the Reserve/COVID list, but made up for the precocious commencement with consistency down the agelong of the preseason. The rookie opted retired of the 2020 assemblage season, but was the starting nickel backmost connected LSU’s 2019 nationalist rubric team.

Cornerback

Kyle Fuller | 23

5-11, 194, 29, 8th season, Virginia Tech

Another 1 of the high-profile offseason additions to the Broncos secondary, Fuller signed a one-year, $9.5 cardinal deal. The veteran’s played successful each 96 games of his NFL career, starting 94 of them, with 19 interceptions and 390 tackles.

Mike Ford | TBD

6-0, 198, 26, 4th season, Southeast Missouri State

Acquired via waivers from Detroit connected Sept. 1, Ford played successful 31 games for the Lions implicit the past 3 seasons. He had 49 tackles and 4 passes defensed implicit that time. A halfway peculiar teams subordinate successful Detroit, he’ll instrumentality connected that aforesaid relation successful Denver.

Pat Surtain II | 2

6-2, 202, 21, Rookie, Alabama

Drafted ninth wide this year, Surtain lived up to the billing of a aboriginal franchise cornerback passim grooming camp. With a unsocial operation of size and speed, Surtain has the endowment to beryllium Denver’s champion antiaircraft subordinate by season’s end.

Michael Ojemudia | 13

6-1, 200, 23, 2nd season, Iowa

Ojemudia had an up-and-down rookie play successful which helium was thrown into the occurrence due to the fact that of Denver’s extent issues. He sustained a hamstring wounded successful the Seattle preseason crippled and volition statesman the twelvemonth connected injured reserve (out a minimum of 3 games).

Free safety

Justin Simmons | 31

6-2, 202, 27, 7th season, Boston College

Considered by galore to beryllium the NFL’s champion escaped safety, Simmons racked up 5 interceptions and 96 tackles past year, positive his archetypal Pro Bowl nod. A locker country person and ironman, Simmons hasn’t missed a antiaircraft drawback successful 3 seasons.

Caden Sterns | 30

6-1, 207, 21, Rookie, Texas

He had possibly the champion grooming campy retired of each the rookies minus Surtain, impressing coaches with his ballhawking, physicality and shot IQ. Sterns whitethorn spot a fewer snaps connected defense, but he’ll mostly play connected peculiar teams portion watching and learning arsenic a rookie.

Strong safety

Kareem Jackson | 22

5-10, 183, 33, 11th season, Alabama

The hard-hitting Jackson, who has ever played overmuch bigger than his size, re-upped with Denver connected a one-year woody to instrumentality successful 2021. Alongside Simmons, Jackson (one INT successful 2020) completes 1 of the champion information tandems successful the league.

P.J. Locke | 37

5-10, 202, 24, 3rd season, Texas

Locke spent the past 2 seasons connected the Broncos’ signifier squad, grinding his mode to an opportunity. That accidental has travel successful 2021 arsenic Locke serves arsenic positional extent and figures to beryllium a important contributor to peculiar teams.

Jamar Johnson | 41

6-1, 197, 21, Rookie, Indiana

One of Denver’s fifth-round picks on with Sterns, Johnson missed portion of the offseason and campy connected the Reserve/COVID-19 list. That delayed his assimilation into the NFL, but Denver is inactive counting connected him arsenic a reserve and connected peculiar teams.

Punter

Sam Martin | 6

6-1, 211, 31, 9th season, Appalachian State

Martin had a productive debut play successful Denver past year, averaging 46.8 yards connected 65 punts. The ex-soccer player’s quality to consistently directional punt to the edges volition again beryllium cardinal to the Broncos limiting large plays from opposing returners.

Long snapper

Jacob Bobenmoyer | 43

6-2, 235, 24, 2nd season, Northern Colorado

He bushed retired Wes Farnsworth for the agelong snapper occupation past campy and ne'er looked back, starting each 16 games successful 2020. He gives the Broncos above-grade drawback velocity arsenic good arsenic a snapper who tin beryllium carnal (three tackles past year).