5 Players Critical to Vic Fangio's Defense Lifting Off in 2020
Looking back at the first year of Vic Fangio's tenure as the head coach and architect of the Denver Broncos' defensive scheme, there's not much negative to divulge from a statistical aspect. Ranking at or near the top-10 of nearly every major statistical category in terms of yards and points, Denver's defensive unit had a solid 2019 campaign at face value.
However, the deeper you look, the more you start finding some major discrepancies in critical areas, such as pass pressure as a whole and takeaways. And while they didn't give up many yards on a per-game basis, the yards the Broncos did allow led to points for the opposition at a remarkably high rate; 37.3% of the time the Broncos allowed their opponent to score, the 18th-worst percentage in the NFL.
There are a lot of mitigating factors that play into these statistics, such as personnel, injuries, and the fact that the team as a whole was in a state of flux as a new coaching regime sank its teeth into the roster for the first time. Some players struggled to adapt to the new defensive scheme, which tasked players in a remarkably different way than years past.
Looking forward to 2020, Denver's defense is poised to take a major step forward with Fangio leading the way. In almost every stop throughout Fangio's illustrious career as a defensive coach, his units have often clicked into high gear in the second year of his guidance. Knowing this makes it easy to be extremely optimistic for this year's squad, especially with the upgrades GM John Elway made prior to free agency (more on that later).
If the Broncos want their defense to take that next step in Fangio's second year, the team needs a few incumbents on the roster to step up in a major way. Who are they?
5. Isaac Yiadom | Duke Dawson
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Fangio's defensive scheme relies heavily upon the usage of sub-packages, oftentimes featuring a third safety on the field that can cover effectively in the slot. Last season we saw Will Parks and Dawson rotate (through some inefficiencies) at that position.
With Parks departing in free agency, Dawson is going to have to fight off the third-year Yiadom, who could be transitioning to safety after struggling mightily to develop as an outside cornerback in seasons past.
Arguably the sneakiest need on this year's roster, whoever wins this competition is going to have to face off against a plethora of weapons in the AFC West that can win in a myriad of different ways. From speed guys in the slot like Tyreek Hill and Henry Ruggs III to elite pass-catching tight ends like Travis Kelce and Darren Waller, Denver desperately needs one of these two guys to take that next step in their development.
4. De'Vante Bausby | CB
Getty
There's little question that the biggest need on the Broncos' defense is cornerback depth and Bausby is a big reason for that. Despite flashing in his limited time at the beginning of last season, he is a relatively unknown commodity.
After bouncing around the league for several years and following a stint in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football, Bausby stepped in admirably and looked like a tremendous boundary cornerback at times for Denver's defense, especially driving on the football in coverage and as an open-field tackler.
But a scary neck injury in Week 5 sidelined Bausby for the rest of the season, further exposing the lack of depth at the cornerback position over the course of the 2019 season.
Yiadom and fellow cornerback Davontae Harris traded benchings down the stretch of last season, and Denver's passing defense struggled to maintain any kind of consistency on the boundaries from game-to-game.
This is the biggest reason I have Bausby on this list rather than second-year Bronco Bryce Callahan. If healthy, we know what caliber of play Callahan brings to this defense. That was made apparent when Callahan played with Fangio in Chicago a couple of years ago.
Callahan is also going to see the majority of his time lined up inside. Denver's true weakness at corner is their boundary depth outside of A.J. Bouye.
Bausby should line up on the outside, and I don't expect Michael Ojemudia to perform at a high level as a rookie. Having Bausby, who is reportedly healthy and ready to play, is a huge key to Denver's secondary improving this season.
3. Dre'Mont Jones | DL
Getty
Another massive part of the Fangio defense is the interdependence of limited pass rushers and a complex coverage scheme. Simply put, create as much pass pressure as possible without blitzing while dropping as many players into coverage as you can. Fangio wants to win the line of scrimmage with quick interior penetrators and Jones showed that ability late last season.
The Broncos have had a dearth of talent and depth at the 5 technique going back to 2016, when Malik Jackson left in free agency following Super Bowl 50. Outside of Derek Wolfe and recently Shelby Harris, there's been little ferocity from the interior of the Broncos' defensive line as a cohesive unit.
One might opine that Harris would be a better player to place on this list, but the addition of Jurrell Casey and Elway's hesitation to offer a larger contract to Harris spotlights what the Broncos think of Jones in this defense.
Harris, a fan-favorite for his clutch plays, showed a lot of inconsistency last season. He had a nice statistical campaign, racking up six total sacks as well as leading the league in batted passes at the line of scrimmage. But three of those sacks came in the Week 11 Minnesota game and he floundered early in the season while playing out of position. He also continued his struggles as a run defender.
Jones, if nothing else, needs to provide Fangio a quality rotational interior pass rusher as a depth piece. However, I believe Jones can overtake Harris as the starter, which only benefits the Broncos' defense from a consistency standpoint. I also like Jones better than Harris in the running game.
2. Alexander Johnson | ILB
Getty
Johnson was a major revelation for the Broncos from Week 5 on. A sure tackler and a tremendous blitzer in the A-gap, Johnson helped bolster the Broncos' rushing defense over the latter course of last season.
The reason I have him on this list is simple. If you want a larger role in Fangio's defense as a linebacker, you have to be able to cover in the passing game.
Denver rarely tasked Johnson with coverage duties last season, relying mostly on sub-packages and fellow LB Todd Davis. But in his first game action in Week 5 against the L.A. Chargers, Johnson stepped up to task by intercepting Philip Rivers in the end zone, securing a victory on the road.
The Broncos drafted Wake Forest product Justin Strnad as a possible solution to their coverage woes at the linebacker position, but I think there is some untapped potential with Johnson.
Denver didn't ask Johnson to play coverage partially because he is so great at what the Broncos have actually asked him to do. I want to see Johnson become a true three-down 'backer, taking on those coverage responsibilities as well.
Should Johnson be able to develop in coverage, the Broncos could have a perennial Pro Bowler at the linebacker position.
Don't believe me? Ask former Bronco great Al Wilson. He'll tell you.
1. Bradley Chubb | Edge
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Without question, Von Miller is the key to the Broncos' defense. But no one needs me to point that out. Think outside of the box here.
Chubb nearly broke the single-season rookie sack record in 2018, but struggled to open the 2019 season. Then he tore his left ACL for the second time in Week 4, ending his sophomore campaign.
The Broncos' defense struggled mightily to create consistent pressure to open the season but went on a tear after Chubb's departure, collecting 35 sacks over the next 12 games. Still, Denver drastically missed Chubb's pass-rushing abilities in 2019 and only generated 137 total pressures on the season, the 20th-fewest in the league.
Denver's 79 total QB hits on the season also ranked near the bottom of the NFL. For a team with Miller rushing the passer, that's not nearly good enough. Period.
The Broncos' pass rush failed to meet expectations in year one of Fangio's defense and missing Chubb for the majority of the season was a huge part of their inefficiencies.
Denver desperately needs Chubb to return to form as soon as possible. His rehabilitation has been extremely unconventional (and solitary) due to restrictions in place with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but if Denver wants to take that next step defensively, Chubb has to be healthy and creating opportunities not only for himself, but for everybody else on the Broncos' defensive line.
Follow Lance on Twitter @SandersonMHH and @MileHighHuddle.
