The Denver Broncos had multiple glaring flaws that held the team back from reaching the playoffs in 2021, and one of those flaws has gotten nowhere near enough attention in the Denver media circuit.
The Broncos’ defensive line is one of the most serious positional needs on the team after a number of players failed to live up to expectations.
Why are the Broncos in desperate need of talent along their defensive front and what bright spots are there for fans to cling to? Let’s look.
Dre’Mont Jones
With his remarkable play over the last two seasons and complete lack of accolades, one could easily argue that Dre’Mont Jones is quickly becoming one of the NFL’s most underrated players.
When studying the Broncos’ defense in 2021, the only player that jumped off the tape more than Jones was Justin Simmons, who is debatably the best player in the sport at his position.
Despite being put in some incredibly disadvantageous positions last season, considering the number of injuries in the front seven, lack of help in terms of creating pressure (Denver ranked last in the league in pass-rush win-rate last season), and limited pass-rushing opportunities, Jones had the best season of his NFL career.
He appears to be the one rock-solid building block that Denver can count on along their defensive front, and as a result, he should see a hefty contract extension in the near future, potentially even before the season.
Shelby Harris
After consistently being one of the Broncos’ most valuable defenders since joining the team, Harris’ play declined considerably in 2021.
Almost across the board, it appeared as if his game had taken a slight step back, which isn’t too surprising given his age.
Instead of being one of the league’s better interior pass rushers, he was much closer to being pedestrian. He did manage to lead the interior defensive line unit in sacks, but Dre’Mont Jones pressured the quarterback 20 percent more and won his pass-rushing snaps at a much higher rate.
His ability to defend the run didn’t drop off too much, but his ability to create penetration in the backfield certainly took a step back.
The best aspect of Harris’ game in 2021 might have been as a special teamer, as he remarkably blocked a kick multiple times last season.
That overall decline though is pretty disappointing considering the contract extension the Broncos signed Harris to last offseason, which is set to keep him in Denver through 2023. However, the Broncos could get out of the contract after the 2022 season if Harris’ play doesn’t improve.
Mike Purcell
After discovering him following an impressive Alliance of American Football audition in 2019, Purcell became a dominant run-stuffing force for Denver’s defense. Unfortunately, his play took a notable step back this year.
During the Fangio era, the Broncos’ run defense heavily relied on Purcell’s ability to play multiple gaps, and the run-stuffing ability of Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell. With Johnson and Jewell missing almost the entire season, Purcell’s role in the defense became even more important, but he was unable to perform up to the standard he had set in prior years and Denver’s run defense suffered greatly as a result.
Purcell’s decline seemed largely due to a struggle to shed his blocks once the opposing lineman latched onto him, which is a necessity for the nose tackle in Fangio’s system. Some of this could have been the result of a thumb injury suffered against the Browns, which limited his ability to use his hands to get off blocks with his hands, but he was struggling even before his injury.
Purcell will still have an important role in 2022, but the Broncos should add an insurance policy talented enough to take over the starting job in the near future, and making Purcell a valuable backup.
DeShawn Williams
DeShawn Williams has been an excellent bargain bin find for the Broncos after they signed him following his release from the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League prior to the 2020 season.
That signing led to a career renaissance for Williams, who had already been cut by four NFL teams (including the Broncos, twice). In 2020, Williams blossomed into a solid role player who managed to contribute on a consistent basis, and in 2021, he continued to build on that.
Williams was one of the few pass-rushers for the Broncos who was able to create pressure last season, and he was also a consistent run defender. Despite only having a rotational role, Williams’ five sacks were just two behind Jones for the lead among the position group. Also, only Jones and Harris created more quarterback pressures.
Denver’s anemic pass rush can’t afford to lose that presence, though that is a risk this offseason, as Williams is set to be an unrestricted free agent. With Williams’ role continuing to increase, and him arguably being the Broncos’ best defensive lineman not named Dre’Mont Jones in 2021, the Broncos would be wise to bring him back on a respectable deal.
McTelvin Agim
The standard for a third-round pick is that they should almost immediately become a contributing role player. Two years into the McTelvin Agim experiment, and he can barely get activated for gameday. He was on the field for a mere 90 defensive snaps in 2021, fewer than street free-agent signing Micah Kiser.
Agim was drafted as a boom-or-bust interior pass-rusher who needed to greatly improve his run defense and add strength at the point of attack but had tantalizing physical gifts and pass-rush potential. When he managed to get on the field in 2021, he was a liability in run defense and an unreliable tackler, but his ability to create pressure was extremely impressive at times.
Among interior defensive linemen with at least 25 pass-rushing snaps, Agim’s pass-rush win-rate of 19.0% ranks fifth, and he’s in some elite company.
Interior defensive linemen with at least 25 defensive snaps and a higher pass-rush win-rate than McTelvin Agim in 2021:
1. Aaron Donald (22.6%)
2. Javon Hargrave (21.0%)
3. Jonathan Allen (20.0%)
4. Chris Jones (19.1%)— Zach Segars (@Zach_Segars) February 23, 2022
If Agim can add a little more power to his game and become more consistent, the Broncos might be able to trust him on early downs, which would greatly increase his role in the defense. He’s already a boost to their pass-rush, but he can’t be a liability against the ground attack.
Shamar Stephen
It’s hard to picture Shamar Stephen returning to Denver after a disappointing 2021 campaign, especially with all the intriguing young talent behind him.
Stephen’s most memorable contribution to the Broncos this season was being a sponge for snaps that many would have liked to see go to Agim. Stephen is definitely the better run defender and — with Purcell’s decline — that was a necessity, but Agim impacted the pass game to a much greater extent (which Denver also desperately needed, as demonstrated by their league-worst pass-rush win-rate).
Plus, Agim probably could’ve developed that facet of his game more if he was given more playing time.
With Stephen set to be an unrestricted free agent, his days appear to be numbered in Denver.
Jonathan Harris and Marquiss Spencer
These two barely saw the field for the Broncos this season, and when they did see the field, they weren’t especially memorable.
Jonathan Harris saw most of his work come as a reserve, as the defensive line became depleted down the stretch. Harris barely affected the pocket as a pass-rusher, but showed some nice flashes in run defense against the Chargers. As a young practice squad player, it is somewhat notable he beat out Marquiss Spencer for playing time.
Spencer spent almost the entire season on the Broncos’ practice squad, though he did see some action in Week 17.
He didn’t make much of an impact in that game, or at all as a rookie, but that’s fairly normal for such a late draft pick. He’ll have the opportunity to compete for a larger role in training camp this offseason, but he’ll also have a lot of ground to make up.
Justin Hamilton and Jonathan Kongbo
Justin Hamilton and Jonathan Kongbo were the two members of the defensive line to not even play a snap for the Broncos in 2021.
Considering all the turnover that’s likely to happen in this position group and their familiarity with the team and scheme, they could see themselves elevated into a more rotational role. Though that doesn’t feel particularly likely with the infusion of talent that’s also likely to occur with this position group.
Synopsis
Denver’s defensive line was pretty disappointing last year, and as a result, is one of the team’s biggest needs, despite the lack of focus placed on the position group.
Established key contributors showed signs of decline due to age and multiple depth pieces failed to live up to expectations, leaving the Broncos in desperate need of a talent infusion.
However, promising performances from Dre’Mont Jones, DeShawn Williams and McTelvin Agim prevented the outlook of this position group to be all doom and gloom
Overall Position Group Grade: C-