Broncos Switch Justin Hollins' Position in Wake of Injury Bug
If necessity is the mother of invention, Day 9 of Denver Broncos training camp gave birth to a musical chairs of sorts at the linebacker position. With the gut-punch news that rookie linebacker Justin Strnad will miss the rest of the season with a wrist injury, and with Todd Davis still out for the foreseeable future with his calf, the Broncos had to get creative.
Head coach Vic Fangio decided to resurrect a project he'd started last summer that didn't bear good fruit. With the need for bodies at inside linebacker, the Broncos made the call to move Justin Hollins from the edge rusher group to the off-ball guys.
“Yeah, we moved him there today," Fangio said following Monday's practice. "That’s where he worked exclusively today.”
The most immediate beneficiary of the Strnad and Davis injuries is Josey Jewell, who's now running exclusively with the first-team defense next to Alexander Johnson. But Hollins could be the next guy to benefit, depending on how you view it.
I'll be honest; I've never seen what Fangio does in Hollins when it comes to playing off-ball linebacker. With Hollins' length and athleticism, he could have a future in the NFL as an edge defender but the experiment last year to have the kid play both positions was a categorical failure.
What modest impact Hollins was able to make last year as a rookie came as an edge. As an off-ball linebacker, he was a straight-up liability when he was on the field.
However, he was a rookie. And he was being asked to learn and master two different positions. Maybe a complete focus on off-ball duties could be the difference-maker... but I still don't see it.
What is it that Fangio likes about the 6-foot-5, 248-pound linebacker?
"He does have good recall. He’s a smart guy," Fangio said. "He recalls the stuff he was learning last year at that position. I think we’ll find out if he’s grown at all and is a guy capable of that. He does have some good length. He can run. He’s just got to learn to play with more explosiveness and decisiveness because things happen quicker and more things happen at inside linebacker.”
The Broncos would perhaps be better served to keep things simple-stupid and not overload a second-year player with the burden of learning another position, especially in light of how badly it turned out last year for the player and the team. Going out and perusing the waiver wire and street for a good fit for Fangio's defense and bringing in a veteran off-ball linebacker would be the wiser choice.
However, I do commend the Broncos for first looking internally for solutions. I'm just doubtful Hollins has what it takes, especially with three weeks to go until the season-opener.
For now, Fangio is hoping the Strnad injury will have a silver lining and that it'll allow another linebacker to emerge and shine. But I'm telling you now, you'd be remiss to count on Hollins suddenly becoming a good off-ball linebacker.
"You never know. It could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Justin and for us," Fangio said. "We’re not putting him in there just because we need somebody in there. He’s a guy that has a chance in there. Sometimes when you’re forced to do something both as a coaching staff or as a player it ends up being a blessing. I’m hoping that’s what happens here.”
Meanwhile, Josh Watson and Joe Jones are both having a solid camp thus far. Watson, in particular, has stood out for his propensity of always being around the ball.
The Broncos are keeping their fingers crossed that the injury bug can be staved off from further decimation of the off-ball linebackers. But if push came to shove, I've long been an admirer of Jones especially because of what he could bring potentially in coverage.
We'll see how it shakes out.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHudde.
