Broncos 2020 Roster Breakdown: Josh Watson | Hybrid LB
Each summer, Mile High Huddle goes player by player to break down the Denver Broncos' roster. That’s right, all 90 of them.
We'll scrutinize each player's history, dating back to college, and what they bring to the 2020 Broncos. Next up? Josh Watson, the stand-out linebacker one year removed from being an undrafted free agent linebacker.
Watson was an interesting player to watch as a Colorado State Ram, but also with how he was used by the Broncos in the 2019 preseason. The linebacker was used in a hybrid role as both an edge and off-ball linebacker with varying levels of success.
Watson was actually better when he was tasked with playing the edge than he was off-ball and showed some major concerns with his play in coverage. Denver likes to have versatility in its defense, but there needs to be more consistency from Watson, which was lacking.
The Broncos didn’t do much to upgrade their linebacker corps with the exception of drafting Justin Strnad as a potential cover guy. That does help Watson as he fights for a roster spot, but the emergence of Alexander Johnson from last year kind of balances it out.
Denver will carry four or five linebackers, depending on how many edge defenders are kept, but Johnson, Strnad, Todd Davis, and Josey Jewell all likely have jobs. There is also another hybrid in Justin Hollins competing for a spot.
The competition is stiff for Watson so he has to show a lot of improvement if he wants a shot at making it. For a deeper look at Watson, check out the video above.
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