Justin Simmons Puts Finger on Two Areas Todd Davis' Departure Could Cost Broncos
The Denver Broncos' defense has suddenly gotten even lighter on veteran leadership in the wake of Von Miler’s untimely and devastating ankle injury that came just four days after the shocking release of linebacker Todd Davis. Critics will point to Davis' departure as a wholly self-inflicted loss driven by salary-cap ramifications.
Filling the considerable void Davis has left behind — in terms of leadership — will now most likely fall on more seasoned locker room figures like defensive lineman Jurrell Casey and safety Justin Simmons. Marshaling the troops was one of Davis’ core strengths as Simmons recently revealed in some detail on Wednesday.
“Todd was a great leader," Simmons said via Zoom conference. "He’s one of those guys that—not that would worry about everyone, but he was just one of those guys that I knew I could rely on if I happened to miss something or if I forgot a certain check. He’s one of those guys that you could just rely on to make checks or to kind of be on top of the areas that you may have missed."
Davis' absence is going to sting and there's no way around it. The team has to expect it'll come out in the wash.
"Losing someone like him—it’s kind of said all the time," Simmons said of Davis. "I don’t mean to just say it and I’m not saying it just to say it, but there’s no replacing someone like Todd."
The inner workings of calling the defensive signals on the field will come under serious scrutiny when the Broncos hit the field this coming Monday night vs. the TennesseeTitans. Davis was so deeply rooted in the Broncos' system and verbiage that he'd built up his own methods of communication on the field — and to great effect.
No matter which way you slice it, that innate propensity for relaying information is going to be extremely hard to replace in Simmons' estimation.
“Losing someone like him—it’s kind of said all the time,” Simmons said. “I don’t mean to just say it and I’m not saying it just to say it, but there’s no replacing someone like Todd. I think the biggest thing that he brought was that leadership and tenacity on gameday, every single day, every single play, just how intense he was and how focused he was to the attention of detail.”
Veteran units like the Broncos' defense feel the collective sting of losing one of its major components that made it tick, especially when the plan-B option is so completely different. The young inside linebacker duo of Josey Jewell and Alexander Johnson will be tasked with getting the entire defense into the right play-call and with making the right checks.
It’s a major responsibility that Simmons wasn’t willing to dumb down when he touched on the subject.
“There’s really no replacing someone like Todd,” Simmons reaffirmed. “With that being said though, A.J., Josey obviously getting a bigger role—we’re going to have to just be able to capitalize. Josey is more than capable of doing that. Obviously, he’s been in that room with Todd and has learned a lot from Todd. I’m really looking forward to seeing Josey step up and kind of take the realm of the position and out there, he and A.J. being able to do what they can do."
Simmons left little doubt that he feels the team is weaker for the departure of its former defensive captain. Passing the torch to Johnson, who showed so much last year as a first-year starter, might be a lot easier than it will be to make a polished pro out of the largely untested Jewell.
Strong voices will be required throughout the locker room as the Broncos attempt to bridge the gap in leadership this season. As much as losing Davis' on-field impact will sting, Simmons sounds more worried about the locker-room vacuum Davis' departure will create.
"There’s no way—like I said everybody says it, but there’s no way you can replace someone like Todd especially the leadership aspect of what he brought to the team," Simmons said.
Three times Simmons emphasizes that there's no replacing Davis. That's a distinction that shouldn't be lost on the Broncos' front office.
Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.
