Broncos Player Profile: Mike Purcell | NT
Mike Purcell, the big nose tackle, really stood out for the Denver Broncos during the 2019 season. He was stout in the middle as a run defender, which really opened things up for the linebackers to make plays.
While Purcell isn’t much of a pass rusher, he does do well in pushing the middle to keep opposing quarterbacks from stepping up. This helps out the Broncos' edge rushers by keeping quarterbacks deeper in the pocket for the pass rush arc to get home.
It was much the same from Purcell over the first seven weeks of the 2020 season. His run defense was stout in the middle and he did enough pushing up the middle to help out the pass rushers around him.
Purcell was doing very well and got a much-deserved extension from the team before his season was ended due to a lisfranc injury which he is now working his way back from.
As Purcell enters his third year with the Broncos, he is again expected to be the starting nose tackle. This should put him in the middle of Shelby Harris and Dre’Mont Jones and really give Denver a stout defensive line with good run defense from Harris and Purcell.
Harris and Jones will bring the pass rush ability. Purcell has a simple job to do: eat as much space and as many blockers as he possibly can.
The size and strength are there to be troublesome, so hopefully, Purcell comes back to full strength and health after his injury. While Purcell might not be the most important cog on the defense, he can make things a lot easier for those around him, which is needed for the Broncos to reach their ceiling as a unit.
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