Strike 2: Bo Nix Mania is in full swing in Broncos Country, and with good reason. The excellent preseason play of the rookie first-round draft choice has not only grabbed the headlines, it’s even caused many to change their predictions for the upcoming Broncos season from a “grin and bear it” four win season to something much closer to .500 and perhaps a flirtation with a playoff spot.
While the improvement from the offense with Nix at the helm has been obvious, the Broncos are still going to find themselves on the wrong side of .500 – again – if the defense can’t hold up its end.
The D looked very good against the Jordan Love-less Green Bay Packers in preseason tilt number two, but the truer tests will come when the regular season rolls around, and teams are playing with “live bullets” as they say. When the other team’s offense is going full throttle right at them, can Vance Joseph’s crew hold up?
One of the biggest questions coming into 2024 – a season with very low expectations – was the state of defensive backfield, where Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons used to plant his predominantly orange flag. How important was Simmons to the Broncos defensive success? When he was out with an injury at the start of the season, Denver started 0-3, including giving up 70 points in a single game against Miami, remember? When he was back in the lineup, that same unit shut down Patrick Mahomes and the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and Simmons was selected the AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Now Simmons is an Atlanta Falcon, the victim of a salary purge that’s a necessary part of a rebuilding project.
In his place, the Broncos are counting on some combination of P.J. Locke, JL Skinner, Omar Brown, Brandon Jones and Tanner McCalister. Only Locke is well known to most Broncos fans. And someone – or someones – among that group aren’t going to make the final 53-man roster.
Again, it’s just preseason, but so far, so good from the young safeties. Against the Packers, they were solid in run support and helped shut down what the visitors rolled out and labeled as a passing attack. Couldn’t have asked for more under the circumstances.
But will it carry over?
Remember, Simmons was more than just a great defender. He was also the de facto captain of the defense, calling out signals and keeping everyone lined up where they were supposed to be. Locke, Skinner or whomever else is on the field when the season opens in Seattle is going to have to take over that role, too. The jury is still out on that one.
The good news is that with standout Patrick Surtain II at one corner, the secondary already has a leader by example. But they will need more than that when they face Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, just to name a few.