3. Shaquil Barrett
This has nothing to do with how Shaq Barrett has played through the start of this season. Obviously, he’s been fantastic. This has everything to do with how much more impactful he can still be.
In Week 6, when Barrett got his first career start for the injured DeMarcus Ware, he was dominant. It was as if he was still back in the preseason taking lunches from third-string tackles. Honestly, he looked just as good as Ware has this season, if not better.
Now, when Ware gets back, he’ll be the starter — obviously. Even at 33 years old, the veteran was playing at an All-Pro — if not Defensive Player of the Year — level through five games. But that doesn’t mean that Barrett will no longer be a star on this defense.
With how Wade Phillips has been rotating his pass rushers, Barrett already gets a ton of reps; that won’t change. What will change is how they use Barrett. He’s not just going to be a Ware or Von Miller surrogate, pushed into the lineup when they need a breather; he’s going to be a spotlight piece, a player Phillips designs packages around.
If he can do all this, if he can be option 1C to Miller and Ware’s 1A and 1B, then the Broncos defense may actually have room to grow; for the rest of the NFL, that’s a scary thought.
