T.J. Ward is old-school, and for the Denver Broncos defense, that’s a good thing. A very good thing.
Ward is a hard-nosed, huge-hitting warrior in the defensive backfield. He’s a throw-back to the days before defenseless receiver was a penalty or pass interference was called for little contact. He’s unafraid to hit a man hard in order to protect his piece of the gridiron.
Ward is an enforcer. He can put fear in the mind of even the mightiest competitor, a joy to watch for football enthusiasts.
Last season he proved versatile, playing a roving safety/linebacker hybrid depending on the play. Playing closer to the line allowed him to rush the quarterback at times, earning two sacks, along with more opportunities for tackles. Ward’s 76 total tackles were second-most on the team to Brandon Marshall.
He also covers well, with eight passes defended and two interceptions last season in the orange and blue. Ward’s entering his sixth season and Denver needs him to lead at the position, considering they lost former starter Rahim Moore.
Moore had finally out-lived his disastrous play in the Broncos’ loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the 2012 Divisional Round by developing into a stellar cover safety.
Denver went out and signed Darian Stewart following Moore‘s departure, and the sixth-year pro Stewart is confident he’ll be the starting free safety this season.
“It’s my position,’’ Stewart said early on in the offseason. “It’s my position to lose. When I line up, I feel like at this level you’ve got to have confidence. When I signed here, I knew it was my job.’’
Stewart spent his first four years in St. Louis, staring one, and then started 14 games for the Baltimore Ravens last season. He racked up 56 tackles, six passes defended and one pick with the Ravens in the regular season. Then, Stewart intercepted another and recovered a fumble in the playoffs.
But behind him is David Bruton, who’s been with the Broncos since 2009, almost always as a backup. Bruton’s been a spark on special teams for years, he possesses a non-stop motor and a burning desire to prove he belongs. He’s the kind of player that never seems satisfied. It may be his time to shine.
If Bruton can out-perform Stewart in camp, he can win the job. It’s a tall task for the career-long backup, but he’s shown the athleticism to play at a high level. Don’t count him out as the competition heats up in Denver’s defensive backfield.
There’s also fourth-year pro Omar Bolden, another Denver draftee who’s performed well on special teams so far in his career. Bolden has the speed, but does he have the smarts to be a starter at safety?
Two more youngsters, one-year pro Ross Madison out of Toledo and rookie Josh Furman from Oklahoma State, round out the roster at the position.
