The Broncos’ disastrous loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas Day, which ended Nathaniel Hackett’s time as the head coach, amplified their pass rush struggles last season. Against a Rams team that allowed the third-most sacks in the league in 2022, Denver was able to generate only one quarterback pressure, while Baker Mayfield, who has gone from being a franchise signal caller to fighting to stay in the league, threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns in a 51-14 win.
Injuries and trading away edge rusher Bradley Chubb played a major part in Denver’s inability to attack the quarterback, especially down the stretch when it totaled a combined one sack in the final three games.
Although the addition of outside linebacker Frank Clark has provided optimism for 2023, the Broncos will need some for the young guys to take strides if they want to see real improvement.
“I think there are a number of players on our team that have those traits, but if you lack those traits in your lineup, then you are forced by (the) scheme to create pressure,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said. “Then, you get into a whole other game. I think that it’s evolved (into) more of a passing game. You have to be able to sub guys in and out. It’s a hard position to play 60-70 snaps.”
The Broncos’ defense was solid for most of last year. Denver allowed 17 points per game during the first 12 games while holding opponents to under 10 points in three contests. They had the four-highest blitz percentage in the league (32.9%), but the results were not pleasing. Denver ranked 24th in sacks (36) and 26th in quarterback hits (81). They totaled a combined 12 sacks in nine games after trading Chubb to the Miami Dolphins in November.
Clark, who signed a one-year deal in June, is a solid upgrade in the pass rush department. It’s hard to picture Clark becoming Denver’s first player to record double-digit sacks since Chubb (12) and Von Miller (14 ½) in 2018, but the former Kansas City Chief fits the mold of a pressure player that Payton looks for.
Clark, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, has totaled 30 quarterback hits and 53 pressures in the past two seasons with the Chiefs. In 2021, he was named a Pro Bowler after recording 17 quarterback hits and 29 pressures.
“You have to affect the quarterback somehow,” said Payton when describing a pressure player. “I think Frank does.”
More importantly, Clark provides a veteran presence that knows how to step up when it matters most. Clark, a two-time Super Bowl champion, has 13 ½ sacks, 20 quarterback hits and 16 tackles for loss in 17 career playoff games. In Kansas City’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship, Clark, a second-round selection by the Seattle Seahawks in 2015, tallied 1 ½ sacks and three quarterback hits.
Denver has an idea of what to expect from Clark. It’s a matter of putting him in the right position to succeed. When it comes to the rest of the Broncos’ outside linebackers, they are banking on Randy Gregory to stay healthy and young players like Nik Bonitto to tap into their potential.
Gregory could be Denver’s best pass rusher in 2023 if he can stay on the field. Last season, he recorded two sacks in six games (three starts) as he battled a knee injury. If Gregory can play consistently, he, Clark and Baron Browning, who recorded 5 ½ sacks in 2022, are a solid group of edge rushers to work with.
Browning, however, could miss some time since he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee earlier this offseason, keeping him sidelined throughout OTAs and mandatory minicamp. Payton expects Browning to start the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list, meaning he will most likely miss the first four games.
With Browning potentially sidelined to start the year, Bonitto’s development will be even more important.
Bonitto, the Broncos’ second-round pick in 2021, had an up-and-down rookie season, totaling 14 tackles, 1 ½ sacks and a forced fumble in 15 games. However, the potential is there. His quickness and athleticism, which allowed him to record 16 sacks in his last two seasons at Oklahoma, can make him a valuable pass rusher for Denver.
“That depth is important because it’s a constant fight,” Payton said. “It’s like wrestling. If you have ever wrestled with somebody, it’s exhausting. [It’s about] having enough of those guys that can affect the quarterback, especially in our division.”
Payton’s idea for pressure players isn’t limited to outside linebackers. Rookie inside linebacker Drew Sanders has the skill set to attack the quarterback, as he totaled 9 ½ sacks for Arkansas in 2022. Defensive end Zach Allen, who Denver signed after Dre’Mont Jones with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency, had a career-best 5 ½ sacks and 20 quarterback hits for the Arizona Cardinals in 2022.
“You don’t have to be an outside linebacker to be a pressure player,” Payton said. “You can be an interior lineman that is exceptional. Safeties, in the history of our game, have been pressure players. Inside linebackers…some of them are pressure players, some of them aren’t.”
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