Denver Broncos fans saw the linebacker position as a highly intriguing part of the roster entering the 2019 NFL season for a couple of reasons. For one, it is an area the team has lacked in for several years and with Vic Fangio coming aboard as the team’s head coach, the hope was that would change.
Before becoming one of the league’s best defensive coordinators, Fangio made his name as the long time linebackers coach of the New Orleans Saints, where he helped create the “Dome Patrol.”
Let’s see how the Broncos’ linebackers each graded out in 2019.
Von Miller
Stats
Tackles: 46
Sacks: 8
Tackles for loss: 11
Miller played well in 2019, but we have come to expect big things out of the former Super Bowl MVP and we just didn’t get big things this past season.
He still led the team with eight sacks, but that was the lowest amount of sacks he put up in a season since he had just five in 2013, the year he tore his ACL.
Miller was adjusting to a new defensive scheme and depending on what side of the fence you’re on, you either believe that Miller isn’t a great fit for this defense or the coaching staff didn’t know how to use him.
While we can’t give him a bad grade for leading the team in sacks, he needs to be a much more disruptive force in 2020.
Grade: B-
Todd Davis
Stats
Tackles: 134
Tackles for loss: 6
Not only did Davis lead the Broncos in total tackles, but he was also tied for eighth in the entire league in that category.
Davis was strong in run support for the team and had what was statistically the best season of his career, despite playing in just 14 games.
Grade: B
Bradley Chubb
Stats
Tackles: 21
Sacks: 1
Tackles for loss: 5
Forced fumbles: 1
The Broncos faced a lot of disappointment in the 2019 season, but at the top of that list was the season-ending injury suffered by Chubb, who played in just four games.
Before the injury, Chubb had failed to make much of a difference in games and like Miller, faced criticism for his lack of production. But because of the injury, it feels unfair to grade him based on such a small sample size in the new defense.
Grade: I (Incomplete)
Alexander Johnson
Stats
Tackles: 93
Sacks: 1.5
Tackles for loss: 7
Interceptions: 1
Forced fumbles: 2
Fumble recoveries: 1
Though the season was filled with disappointments, among the best things to see all season was the emergence of this guy. He had a tremendous season that no one really saw coming.
Johnson finished second on the team in tackles and was just around every play on defense, chipping in in multiple ways.
As a result, there is hope that he can become one of the league’s better interior linebackers.
Grade: A-
Josey Jewell
Stats
Tackles: 38
Sacks: 1.5
Fumble recoveries: 2
Jewell took a back seat this past season to Johnson, seeing action on about 20 percent of the team’s defensive snaps while Johnson was on the field for 69 percent, according to Pro Football Reference.
Jewell was drafted to be a starter but there is a chance that ship has already sailed unless the team decides not to re-sign Davis or sign another inside linebacker in free agency.
Jewell will have something to prove in 2020.
Grade: C-
Malik Reed
Stats
Tackles: 27
Sacks: 2
Tackles for loss: 5.5
Fumble recoveries: 1
Undrafted out of Nevada, Reed had such a strong showing in the summer that he looked like a lock to make the 53-man roster after about the time of the second preseason game.
Reed was then thrust into a more important role following the injury to Chubb and he stepped up and played well, showing that he could be an integral defensive piece for years to come.
Grade: B+
Corey Nelson
Stats
Tackles: 10
Nelson served his second stint with the Broncos in 2019. During his first run with the team, he was a key contributor on special teams and the Broncos brought him back to help with that group and to provide depth on some of the defensive sub-packages.
But a torn biceps midway through the season landed him on injured reserve, cutting his season short.
Grade: C-
Joe Jones
Stats
Tackles: 8
Jones is a player you rarely see on defense but is a key contributor on special teams. He is the type of player who could fit well into the old Keith Burns role. Burns was a special teams standout for many years for the Broncos.
Jones has a specific role on the team and he plays it well.
Grade: B
Jeremiah Attaochu
Stats
Tackles: 21
Sacks: 3.5
Tackles for loss: 5.5
Fumble recoveries: 1
When Chubb went down for the season, the team went looking for help and they decided to bring in Attaochu, who was out of the league at the time. It ended up working out quite nicely.
Only four players had more sacks than Attaochu and though he will be an unrestricted free agent, he made a strong case to be brought back.
Grade: B+
Justin Hollins
Stats
Tackles: 21
Sacks: 1
Hollins, the team’s fifth-round pick, had a quiet rookie season and lost snaps to players such as Reed and Attaochu. He did manage to record his first career sack in a November victory over the Cleveland Browns, but he will need to do something to prove he still belongs on the team in 2020.
Grade: C-
Josh Watson
Stats
Tackles: 2
Watson, who played collegiately at Colorado State, make a strong push to make the 53-man roster in the preseason. He was waived prior to the start of the season but signed as a member of the team’s practice squad.
He was called up to the main roster and played in eight regular-season games, playing exclusively on special teams.
Watson had a solid campaign and proved that he can help a team at the professional level.
Grade: C+
Overall grade
The injury to Chubb was crippling to the team, which was struggling mightily at the time. But with guys like Reed and Attaochu chipping in, the Broncos did a fair job of replacing the superstar.
The group could look a bit different next season with Davis, Attaochu and Nelson becoming unrestricted free agents this offseason.
Collectively, it’s a growing group but one the team will need more production out of in 2020 if the defense is going to be among the best in the league.
Grade: B-
