The Denver Broncos locker room has had an entirely different vibe than we’ve seen in quite some time heading into this season. There are a lot of new and young faces that now make up the dynamic inside of the locker room, and Malcolm Roach is one of those guys.
Denver Broncos newcomer Malcolm Roach fits into locker room seamlessly
Beefing up and fixing the defensive line was a major emphasis for the Denver Broncos this offseason. Stopping the run consistently was an area of concern for the Broncos front seven last season, and George Paton and Sean Payton wanted to bring in players they feel could do that but also become glue guys inside the locker room.
That’s a reason why Denver chose to bring in Malcolm Roach.
“I think he loves playing,” Payton said of Roach last week during OTAs. “He really does. He’s effective as a player, and it’s kind of contagious. He’s a really good teammate and someone that can play multiple positions. There are certain guys that are ‘glue’ guys in a locker room, and he’s one of those guys. He had to steal first base. He was an undrafted free agent. He wasn’t born on third base. He had to make it. He’s a guy that appreciates every day, and his teammates quickly—I talked to a few of the others guy 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.”
He’ll compete for a starting spot during training camp, but all signs point to Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, and John Franklin-Myers being the starters on the defensive line on paper.
Roach has appeared in 41 career games and has started five games in his first four seasons in the league. Over the course of that time, he’s accumulated 90 career tackles, one sack, and seven tackles for a loss.
He wasn’t brought in to be a pass rusher, but he can be a consistent gap-stopper in the trenches.
Over the last few years, the Broncos’ defense has had a string of veteran players on nearly every level of the field, but major changes to the structure of leadership this offseason have created opportunities for new voices to emerge.
According to P.J. Locke, Roach is going to bring a lot of energy on and off the field.
“He’s batsh*t crazy, man,” Locke said last week. “He’s going to be loud out here and bring the energy every single time. That’s his role, and he embraces it. We need it, for sure.”
Having observed Roach during OTAs, he has a tremendous personality that is evident during the team’s stretching period, but also flips a switch the moment team drills begins. He’ll be a fun player for Broncos fans to get to know.
