No. 7 – Derek Wolfe
In his three games after returning from suspension, Derek Wolfe has been simply spectacular. He’s already tied with his backup, Vance Walker, in tackles and he’s proving to be a much better pass rusher than either Walker or Antonio Smith were in his absence.
It’s that absence that has him further down our list right now than he’ll likely find himself come season’s end. After being forced to sit out for the first four games for violating the league’s PED policy, Wolfe has been on a mission to meet the expectations of being Denver’s top draft pick back in 2012.
Save for one extremely poorly timed personal foul penalty against Cleveland, he’s played about as perfectly as the Broncos could have hoped after missing a quarter of the season.
Both Wolfe and Malik Jackson are up for contracts at the end of the year, so it’s no surprise they’re having big years. Von Miller is going to eat up a huge amount of money this offseason, so Wolfe is playing to get paid by someone. Even if that’s not the Broncos, he’s playing for that big payout and it’s already paying off for the Broncos.
