Jonas Griffith Sets Sights on Broncos' Starting ILB Job
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When Denver Broncos GM George Paton selected Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II in the 2021 draft, it set off a chain reaction. Surtain certainly has vast potential which continues to make Paton look pretty good for sticking to his original draft board in the face of quarterback pressure.
That being said, the ranks of Broncos Country have certainly not forgotten that highly-touted linebacker Micah Parsons remained available when the Broncos picked Surtain at No. 9 overall. Somewhat boldly, and perhaps even more puzzlingly, the Broncos decided to ignore obvious needs that still existed at linebacker.
It was predictably written in the stars that Jerry Jones would take his now customary gamble on a player with some character concerns. Risk and reward have worked rather spectacularly for the Dallas Cowboys thus far, especially with Defensive Rookie of the Year honors going Parson's way.
Paton’s ongoing search for answers led to him ridding the Philadelphia Eagles of free-agent linebacker Alex Singleton. Ultimately, the decision to retain the services of Josey Jewell, who missed most of last season injured, was the very definition of a front office no-brainer.
As things currently stand, Singleton has a tentative grip on the job to partner with Jewell, but that's under serious threat from rising third-year prospect Jonas Griffith.
Towards the end of the 2021 season, Griffith saw some action and made a real impression. Add in the very fact that Paton pulled off a trade to acquire the previously undrafted free agent from the San Francisco 49ers, shows just how highly he rates the 25-year-old. No one in Denver has informed Griffith that he's a starter quite yet.
“Every day is a competition,' Griffith said on Friday. "I don’t think I have anything solidified. Every day is an opportunity for me to show this coaching staff what I can do and to improve every day.”
Griffith was originally projected to be just a special teams player, but as he explained on Friday, the Indiana State product is setting his sights on a starting role in Ejiro Evero's new defense.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself to be the best version of myself,” Griffith declared. “The preparation I have—I prepare to be a [No.] 1 [inside linebacker], and I expect to do that.”
Working alongside Jewell means Griffith has to double down on learning from the established starter and taking a studious approach to the game. Improvements he's made during the offseason are keying off some self-scouting, derived from the valuable game film he put up last year.
“I had a lot of improvements that I wrote down after watching my film from last year,” Griffith admitted on Friday. “Just offensive formation recognition and things like that and just knowing what they’re going to do before it happens. Talking to guys like Josey and things like that have helped out.”
Building on the strong finish last season leaves Griffith feeling bullish about forcing his way into the starting line-up. Learning on the job is crucial for a linebacker in order to get a feel for the lines of communication, all of which are fundamental to being effective when playing on the inside.
For Griffith, it’s now all about growing in confidence, complete in the knowledge that he can play the position, and proving that to himself moving forward.
“You kind of have an illusion of like, ‘I can do this.’ But when you actually do it, that’s a little bit different,” Griffith revealed. “But I would say that was a big thing for me, going out there and doing it and proving to myself that I could do it. I feel like that was huge for me and big confidence booster going into the offseason.”
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