Broncos' LB Josey Jewell Wants to be a Starter Again & Knows What it'll Take to Get There
The Denver Broncos selected linebacker Josey Jewell in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. A three-time team captain at the University of Iowa, Jewell exemplified the Broncos' mighty change of heart when it came to scouting the draft, prioritizing leadership, football IQ and other intangibles as much as — if not more than — physical gifts.
He would go on to start nine games as a rookie, totaling 58 tackles (38 solo) and four tackles for a loss. Then, a regime change occurred. Vance Joseph was fired and Vic Fangio became the 17th head coach in Broncos' history, bringing with him that storied and venerated defensive scheme.
The future looked bright for Jewell, especially considering how inside linebackers have flourished in Fangio's scheme traditionally. Fangio was a linebackers coach first before becoming a defensive coordinator and then head coach.
He was the brainchild behind New Orleans' legendary 'Dome Patrol' inside linebacker corps back in the late 1980s and has coached the position at several stops, including in San Francisco where he also served as defensive coordinator.
The expectation was that once Jewell got Fangio's scheme down, he would be that next young linebacker to rocket into the stratosphere under the grizzled defensive czar's tutelage. It might have shaken out that way but the injury bug had other designs.
Jewell opened the 2019 season as a starter but he had to shoulder the first two games without his partner Todd Davis, who was recovering from a serious calf injury suffered Day 1 of training camp. Instead, the Broncos signed an outside guy, but the front office knew well, but Corey Nelson was in over his head.
Perhaps because he was pressing or maybe it was just the luck of the draw, but the injury bug jumped up and bit Jewell, causing him to miss Week 4. With the Broncos opening the season 0-4, and Jewell being banged up, Fangio opted to go with a depth guy the team had been developing as the starter in Week 5 next to Davis, who by then had returned.
Enter Alexander Johnson, who blasted onto the scene like bomb and would never relinquish the starting job back to Jewell. Jewell still subbed in at times for Davis and Johnson but he had to make his bones on special teams.
Fast forward to today, and Jewell is running with the first-team again but only because Davis is injured. Although Davis is expected back in time for the regular-season opener, Jewell is hoping to wrest back a starting job as soon as possible.
“It’s really unfortunate to have anybody injured," Jewell said following Tuesday's practice. "You always want to move up the ladder the right way by just beating people out. Whenever Todd is back healthy, that’ll be nice. My role—I see it as whatever coaches see it as. I’m just trying to work hard every day and hopefully become—within the next year, whenever it is—a starter again. That’s my main goal. I want to start on defense."
In his third NFL season and second in Fangio's scheme, the coaches are able to rely more on Jewell's knowledge than even Johnson's, who started 12 games for the Broncos last year. Fangio said over the weekend that Johnson doesn't quite have 100 percent of his coach's trust when it comes to calling the defensive signals. That's been Davis' job. Jewell is happy to oblige and help Johnson out.
“You want to be able to focus on yourself and be able to put your best product out there," Jewell said. "At the same time, you need both linebackers functioning at a high level. We’ve had to help him a little bit, but he’s a smart guy. He’s still working on it, and so are we all.”
Fangio can appreciate a linebacker who understands the "fine" points of his scheme, can make the right checks and calls, and as a result, play fast between the whistle.
“I think he’s had a good camp so far," Fangio said of Jewell. "He’s showing the benefit of being here a second year. The system hasn’t changed much. He’s a smart player to begin with. When he knows more of all the fine things, he’s one of those players that can put it to good use.”
Fangio is "pleased" with where Jewell's at and while he might still have a lot to prove as a bonafide starting-caliber linebacker in the NFL, he's a great depth player to have in a pinch because of that football noodle.
Jewell's ultimate goal, again, is to win back a starting job. For 2020, that might come by way of a stop-gap starter but with Davis in a contract year, if Jewell proves himself this year and can show the consistency that Fangio is looking for, maybe, just maybe, the torch will get passed to him in 2021.
“I think it’s just improving on the things I already have, and that’s communication," Jewell said. "You get out there and you want to be the guy that’s talking all the time. You want to be the guy—you’re the linebacker. You’re the person telling people where to line up... I think you can always watch more film, and I think this year I watched more film than I did the last two years. Just understanding the possibilities on each play so you can have that first fast step."
Fans might not appreciate how crucial that first split-second after the snap is and why processing speed is paramount for an off-ball linebacker to make the right reads, whether that's in a run-fit or in coverage.
"Coach Fangio always talks about that first second is where you win or lose downs a lot of the time," Jewell said. "That’s just one thing I’m trying to get better at, too. The first second of every play, I’m not guessing. Just having a good knowledge of what could or what won’t happen.”
Odds are, Davis will return in time to start in the season-opener vs. Tennessee. But in the event that he suffers a setback, Jewell will be there with his lunchpail attitude to stop the gap.
It's encouraging to hear that Jewell has redoubled his efforts on film study because as a pro, he's been too prone to biting on play-action fakes, which has led to a lot of big chunk plays over the middle of the field. In Fangio's zone-based coverage schemes, there's a little less pressure on the linebackers to matchup in coverage one-on-one but they still have to play disciplined ball.
Jewell might not be as physically gifted as Johnson so in order for him to contend and keep up with a linebacker of that caliber, he's got to make up the difference mentally. Will Jewell's film study and experience in Fangio's scheme pay dividends?
Only time will tell.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHudde.
