Ask any high school kid on the football gridiron what he dreams of, and he’ll probably tell you he wants to start on an NFL team and win a Super Bowl trophy. For the starters on last year’s Denver Broncos team, both those dreams were realized. But for this year’s rookies, the dream is just beginning.
Denver is in a position to win back-to-back Super Bowl championships for the second time in franchise history, but outsiders aren’t liking their chances. The glaring question mark at quarterback has given the reigning champs 15-1 odds to repeat in Vegas.
But their quarterbacks didn’t win them the Super Bowl last year; their defense did.
Denver lost starters Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan last year, but they still boast one of the best defenses in the league. Their depth is such that their backups would likely start on most any other team in the NFL, and that means the young guys have their competition cut out for them, particular the defensive backs.
But in a sport where head-on competition rules all, it’s not surprising that those young guys relish the competition, even if it means waiting a year or two to start.
“In the NFL, you have to go out there and compete every day,” second-year corner Lorenzo Doss said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a first-year starter or third or fourth on the depth chart, you just have to compete and get better. I love being a part of the No Fly Zone, and the tradition we have here of being the best secondary in the league.”
Doss, along with rookie safety Will Parks, has been a bright flame of production during training camp, bringing a lot of attention to his talent.
Doss has been around for a year already, but you would have to be a die-hard fan to know that. The 2015 fifth-round pick out of Tulane had a quiet rookie season, and has only started to catch the eye of fans recently. Doss had a pair of tackles and a pass deflection in Thursday’s game, but his play every day in practice is what will win him the roster spot.
Parks, a sixth rounder out of Arizona, recorded his first NFL sack, two tackles and a hit on quarterback in last Thursday’s 22-0 thrashing of Chicago. He has also received a lot of praise at camp.
At 6-foot-1, 194 pounds, Parks played strong safety in college, and he will likely be used in special packages during the season, as well as to give starters T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart a breather. As far as Parks is concerned, his dreams have already begun to materialize, starting with a call from John Elway on draft day.
“When I took my pre-draft visit, I felt like they were family from the very beginning. I felt at home,” Parks said. “What’s crazy is when I was down in Tucson just having a pro-day, I saw a bunch of orange jerseys — a bunch of Broncos jerseys — and it was like a sign that I was going to come here. Next thing I know, they called me. Everything here is top-notch, top-class, a dream come true.”
Playing for the No. 1 ranked defense means Parks has the luxury to learn at his own pace and get himself acclimated to the league without the pressure of being a starting rookie. Under the tutelage of veterans Ward and Stewart, Parks has a ceiling so high it’s not yet visible, but he’s ready to put in the work in the meantime.
“It makes you go out there with a smile on your face, knowing that you’re competing with them,” Parks said. “[Ward and Stewart] are two of the best guys in the world. Who wouldn’t want to be under those guys, learning everything from them — not just football but life in general. It’s a great group of guys, and we are just out there making each other better. That’s what it’s all about.”
