Roster turn over is an all-too real part of the NFL and season after season a team’s starting lineup can appear so foreign to any fan once another year begins. For the Broncos, that will be apparent far before the team takes the field against the Baltimore Ravens September 13.
In 2015 the defense will regroup and only a few players will shift around and only one to two new starters will emerge. On offense, the team will look drastically different-especially along the offensive line. With that said entering training camp there are three projected new starters that will have an extremely heavy burden placed on their shoulders and it will be intriguing to see if they can handle the workload.
Cody Latimer
The second year wide receiver, drafted in the second round of the 2013 draft has a vital role in the Broncos new-look offense. After wowing spectators in training camp last season he only saw the field for 37 snaps according to Pro Football Focus and only recorded two receptions. That will change this season as the expectations for him are high among his coaches and teammates.
“You talk about a guy that came out with a rookie class last year, which is one of the best rookie classes of all time and they’re not even mentioning his name. I think that he is just feeding off that energy alone,” fellow wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders said in late May. “I think that he’s ready for his opportunity and I think he’s going to make the most of it.”
With the departure of Wes Welker and Demaryius Thomas’s absence from OTAs and minicamp Latimer has benefited from running with the starting offense and Gary Kubiak has been impressed thus far.
“I’ve been really impressed. It sounded like to me like he struggled a bit mentally keeping up and it held him back (last season). Anytime you’re doing that it’ll hold you back physically. But I think he’s comfortable with what we are doing. His reps have been increased obviously without Demaryius (Thomas) here. So, I see a fine young player. I liked him coming out. I’m really excited about what he can bring and I know he’s a lot better now than when he started,” the head coach said June 10.
Latimer is far and away the front runner for the team’s third starting wide receiver slot. His athleticism and size alone makes him a player to watch throughout the season. The mental side of his game has yet to be proven and pressure can get to even the best players. Fans should expect him to shine in camp but the real test will be waiting in the regular season.
Ben Garland
It is widely known that the Broncos offensive line is in shambles and it will not get any prettier anytime soon. However, it appears that long time defensive lineman and Grand Junction kid, Ben Garland, will get the first crack at starting left guard entering training camp.
Garland has been on the team since 2010 when he was drafted out of the Air Force Academy but was sidelined to serve in the military. After his service he was moved to offensive line in 2012. Since then he has been working hard, possibly harder than anyone to learn his new craft.
“He’s the greatest kid in the world. He works harder than anybody. He’s the first one here, last one to leave. I’ve never been here when I haven’t seen Ben here at 5:15, 5:30 in the morning. So, all that’s in place but he’s got to get out there, he’s got to go through camp, he’s got to get the reps up. All the offensive reps, all the protections, those things. And we’ll see. But we’re rooting for him,” Kubiak said emphatically June10.
Garland will need all the repetitions and advice from offensive coordinator Rick Dennison and offensive line coach Clancy Barone. He has only played offensive line in handful of snaps in 2014 and appeared in only eight games. His work ethic has got him his opportunity this year but he will have to continue to learn a new style of play in the zone-blocking offense. Fortunately, he seems ready for the task.
“You’ve got to learn new scheme, new calls, new defenses and how they fit into the scheme. You’ve got to study past offenses that have been running similar stuff. It’s a lot of studying,” Garland said in late May.
He seems to be athletic enough for the job and he certainly has high praise from several people, especially from maybe the most important person, Peyton Manning.
“It doesn’t take you long to work out with or be on the field with him to realize what an intense and hard worker he is. I think that’s paid a lot of dividends for him,” Manning said. “He’s made significant improvements in the time that he’s been here. He’s going to fight and scratch and claw, and those are kind of guys that you like in there with you trying to protect you and trying to help you.”
Darian Stewart
Darian Stewart very well may be the only new player to start for the Denver Broncos next season. He is joining a group that ranked in the top-ten of both run and pass defense last season. Stewart will be replacing Rahim Moore, who trolled the deep middle of the defense at free safety for four seasons before departing for Houston in the offseason via free agency. Stewart brings versatility and physicality, something that Moore was lacking. He is also not suffering from a lack of confidence.
“When I’m healthy I’m one of the best in the league, I feel like. As long as I’m healthy and staying on the field, my play is going to speak for itself,” Stewart said May 20. “It’s my position. It’s my position to lose. When I line up, I feel like at this level you’ve got to have confidence. When I signed here, I knew it was my job.”
Stewart played exceptionally well against the run and was a sure tackler throughout his 2014-15 season after his previous four seasons in the NFL were plagued with injuries. Kubiak got an up-close look at Stewart’s work at both free and strong safety in all of the Baltimore Ravens games last year and brought him on in early March. His talented and now highly decorated teammate, Chris Harris Jr. has liked what he has seen during the offseason thus far.
“I’m loving Stewart right now. He’s very vocal and a smart guy. I can tell that he’s going to have a physical presence. When running backs come through the hole, I feel like he’s going to land the hammer on them. Add that with T.J. (Ward), so I’m loving what Stewart’s bringing, how fast he’s picking up the defense and the chemistry that we’ve already built together out there on the field.”
All three individuals will be in competition for their positions in training camp but it appears that unless they falter mentally or suffer an injury they will be big contributors in 2015. However, as Kubiak stated clearly just weeks ago, a lot can change in the coming two months.
“Everybody is moving pretty good this time of year. Everybody is physical at this time of year. But once you put the pads on and you get beat down a little bit and the wear and tear takes over, how do you continue to play? How consistent are you? That you’ve got to find out.”
The players themselves will be looking to find out what they are made of as well as a throng of onlookers at Dove Valley. May the best player win.
Email Sam at sam@milehighsports.com and follow him on Twitter @SamCowhick.