3 Broncos Sleepers Pushing for a Roster Spot on Defense
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After observing the 12th practice of Denver Broncos training camp, there are three players who impressed me and could surprisingly make the roster come cut-down day. Every year, players come out of nowhere to make an NFL team, and the Broncos are not immune to this phenomenon.
There could be three surprise players this season on the defensive side of the ball. The Broncos have quite a battle on the defensive line and at edge rusher. Let's get to the three players from those groups who could make the roster when the club announces its initial 53-man roster.
Jonathan Harris | DL
The defensive line starters are all but set with Dre’Mont Jones, D.J. Jones, and DeShawn Williams. The depth positions in the rotation are not set, and there is quite a dogfight happening in camp to earn those backup roles.
Harris ran with the first-team defense early and often in Tuesday's scrimmages, making plays when doing so. He displayed the ability to hold his ground versus the run and could penetrate versus the pass.
On one rep versus the second-team offense, Harris executed a great swim move to quickly get into the backfield and flush quarterback Josh Johnson from the pocket. It may have been a sack in a real game. It would not be a surprise to see Harris be the first defender off the bench in the defensive line rotation on Sundays.
Marquiss Spencer | DL
A seventh-round draft selection in 2021, Spencer made the practice squad last season. He was called upon in Week 17 and saw a little playing time on defense but is pushing for much more this offseason.
Spencer flashed a few times during team period drills and looks like he could handle an increased workload in the defensive line rotation. In one rep, he and Baron Browning blew up a run play during 11-on-11.
Spencer also had a better showing in scrimmages than McTelvin Agim and could very well make the third-round selection expendable on August 30. Agim appeared a little slow off the ball at times, and although he made a couple of nice plays, he wasn’t as impressive as one would think for a player fighting for a final roster spot.
Spencer wasn’t flawless in practice either, as he did get knocked to the ground in one scrimmage. He's going to experience those types of plays as he grows, but overall, he was a player who surprised me.
Jonathan Kongbo | OLB
The top-four edge rushers are set with Bradley Chubb, Randy Gregory (PUP list), Baron Browning, and Nik Bonito. However, Gregory’s surgery has added an need to keep more edge rushers out of the gate while he works back into football shape.
That extra player may very well be Kongbo. He had an interesting start to his professional football career, having spent time in the Canadian Football League. His growth has been stunted by a series of injuries, but he does possess talent if he can stay healthy.
Kongbo was impressive, attacking all the drills with much more intensity than the other players in the edge-rushing group, and he took coaching well. He also looked more explosive than expected.
During team drills, Kongbo made several nice plays. He showed really good use of his hands to keep an offensive lineman away from his body, and on the very next play, he was in the backfield quickly to disrupt the offense.
I saw Kongbo line up off the ball, where he performed a delayed rush to perfection. He was quickly in the quarterback’s face to disrupt the offense, which may have resulted in a sack in a real-game situation.
The two others vying for playing time at rush linebacker, Jonathon Cooper and Christopher Allen, practiced very little as they returned from injury. In fact, Allen was not on the field for any drills or practices, and Cooper only did some drills.
Kongbo would be the last man standing if the Broncos intend to place both those players on the injured reserve list. At the very least, the Broncos could try to get Kongbo on the practice squad.
The preseason will tell the tale of just how much progress these three players have made. Pay particular attention to them over the next three weeks.
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