The starters on the defensive all around are no surprise. Wolfe, Williams and Jackson will be the starters on the line. I expect Wolfe to see more limited action considering he will miss the first four games. Vance Walker and Antonio Smith will be the players to watch to get a feel of how the first four games might go in Wolfe’s absence. Darius Kilgo and Sione Fua overtook Marvin Austin on the depth chart, which surprised many people, so it will be interesting to see if they will prove themselves to those fans on the field. Kenny Anuike is the sleeper player to watch on the line. He has a chance to make the roster due to Wolfe’s suspension, hopefully he should be able to crack into the 53 man roster.
We know Von Miller and Demarcus Ware will again be prominent pass rushers in the new 3-4. What we don’t know is how Shane Ray will translate into the NFL. I love him as a player and think he will be very good, but there are no guarantees when it comes to the draft. He will get a lot of playing time considering Miller and Ware will see very little or none at all. He should be able to generate pressure, especially when he goes against backup linemen. Lerentee McCray is a player I love very much. I believe he can be effective as a pass rusher on the edge so the 3-4 will benefit his skill set. Shaquil Barrett is a long-shot to make the roster, and if McCray really stands out in the new defense, he could find himself out of a job.
Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan are going to be starters on the inside. They both have potential to be all-pro’s if they can stay healthy. I am hesitant to say that we will see a lot of him in this first game considering they are both coming off of injuries, it would be awful if either went down in a meaningless game. I am exited about seeing Todd Davis play in some live action again. I believe he can be an excellent player, especially in spot duty when either Marshall or Trevathan come off the field. Steven Johnson is the other backup. I hope to see him or Lamin Barrow take a step forward this game.
The defensive backfield is going to be very good this season. Chris Harris and Aqib Talib are both shut-down corners, they likely wont play more than a series. Bradley Roby proved he has the potential to be very good last season. If he can take a step forward, teams should be weary to throw too much against the Broncos. He should get a good amount of playing time in this game as the top corner. Kayvon Webster has the ability to play well at times, but needs to become more consistent in his third year. He should make the team has the dime corner. Tony Carter currently holds down the fifth spot, but there is definitely a chance he may not make the team. Curtis Marsh is listed after him, but I think Taurean Nixon and Lorenzo Doss have a chance to break into the roster if they show up and play well in this game. TJ Ward and Darian Stewart are the starters at safety. Ward will be amazing to watch in the regular season in Wade’s defense, but he does not have much to offer in the preseason considering that there wont be blitzing. It will be nice to see what Stewart has to offer. I thought Rahim Moore was solid player and if Stewart and replicate his play, this defense should be a lot better than last season. Omar Bolden and David Bruton are the backups. Both play significant roles on special teams. We should all know about Bruton’s contributions on that unit, but Bolden is now listed at both kick and punt returner. They could elect to keep another safety and if they do, Josh Bush should be the player to look out for.
Omar Bolden currently holds down the starting job at both punt and kick returner as of now. It is surprising that Jordan Norwood is sitting at fourth for both positions because he was on track to make the final roster last season mostly due to his work on special teams. It will be interesting to see if he gets some work on special teams during the game. Solomon Patton holds down the second spot and if he can separate himself and prove he is better than Bolden, then he has a good chance on making the final roster. I would like to see McManus get some work kicking field goals to see if he has improved. I have also heard Barth’s leg is a little stronger than it was last season on kickoffs. Hopefully this rings true and he is able to consistently put kickoffs in the end-zone.
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