Broncos Film Room: Depth by inches

All around Dove Valley everyone’s talked about Vic Fangio’s motto “death by inches.” On a micro level, that’s how the Denver Broncos will win in 2019, on a macro level it comes down to two key position groups.

The Broncos have built their defense around a strong pass rush led by Von Miller and Bradley Chubb and a renewed investment in the cornerback position. By rushing the quarterback and playing tight coverage, the Broncos can make life miserable for opposing offenses. At least that’s the hope, as the entire franchise is counting on riding that elite combination all the way back to contending for division crowns and beyond.

In a long 16-game season though, just relying on your stars isn’t going to work.

Depth is crucial if those two units are to carry the Broncos in 2019 and with quite a bit of turnover the past two seasons, Denver’s hoping it’s found the right rotational pieces to live up to the high standards on a play-by-play basis.

On the edges, beyond Von and Chubb, Denver’s lost Shane Ray and Shaquil Barrett while adding veteran Dekoda Watson. Youngsters like Justin Hollins and promising undrafted signees Jeff Holland and Malik Reed figure to be in the mix as well.

Outside of Chris Harris Jr. and new additions Bryce Callahan and Kareem Jackson, the Broncos cornerback depth is a bit of a concern, especially if Jackson is splitting time at safety. Sophomore Isaac Yiadom and AAF star De’Vante Bausby will have to step up.

That’s why we went back and assessed what to expect from these two units all with an eye on how everything will work under new head coach, and defensive mastermind, Vic Fangio.

On The Edge

“On The Edge” would be a great title for a biographical piece on Dekoda Watson, the former Florida State stud who blew up The Combine and has played for six different NFL teams since entering the league in 2010, always showing flashes but never truly breaking out.

Still, it’s not often a 31-year-old journeyman who’s never been an established starter gets traded for a fifth-round pick.

Watson is, in essence, part of Denver’s 2019 draft class and his ceiling is still high even at 31, especially in a Fangio inspired defense that saw plenty of three-edge formations in the Windy City last year.

The clips below should give a good idea of why the Broncos moved on from the veteran who had a scorching hot preseason with the Orange & Blue back in 2016, netting 4 sacks and then closing the year out with a strip-sack in a strong Week 17 performance.

Clearly, trading for Watson was about adding more depth and a quality contributor for Fangio’s more exotic fronts but this was also about the Broncos and what could have been with Watson. With all the promise he showed, the veteran pass rusher was never truly unleashed in the Mile High City as he was buried behind Ray and Barrett, now he’ll have a second chance.

The former Seminole is versatile, with the ability to play with his hand in the ground or as a stand-up edge. He was particularly impressive in San Francisco last year as a true end.

Watson’s most lethal skill is his heavy hands, which combined with the ability to play with natural leverage, makes for a lethal combination as an outside rusher.

Dekoda keeps offensive tackles at bay with quick hand swipes and violent stabs to throw blockers off balance.

Those same hands allow Watson to swipe at balls, as he’s got some Von Miller to his game. He’s always going for the ball and is a bit of a strip-sack artist in his own right.

While his length isn’t overwhelming, it’s good enough and his athleticism can’t be underestimated or he’ll beat you with a strong burst off the snap, leverage and more than enough agility to bend around the edge.

It’s no wonder that Watson’s been extremely productive on a per-snap basis and could really eat up lower end tackles and tight ends in fronts where opposing blockers are focused on the bigger names along Denver’s front.

Having played fewer than six percent of the defensive snaps in his past three seasons, Watson still pressured the quarterback at a high rate. If he received closer to 35 percent of the snaps, essentially Ray’s playing time a year ago, his sack rate projects to be above eight sacks which would be incredibly productive in a part-time role.

Using Watson and Chubb on stunts, where both have proved to be dangerous in the past, could be another fun wrinkle Fangio can use to harass opposing quarterbacks.

Watch him line up over the left guard, move inside to wreck the pocket, then take down Eli Manning.

Furthermore, Watson will be strong and reliable against the run. His high motor makes him a perfect backup in Denver.

Don’t get me wrong, Watson is far from perfect and still needs to add to his arsenal of pass-rushing moves. He isn’t going to be all that effective when dropped in coverage but he’ll be able to serve his purpose as a part-time edge rusher, which is really all the Broncos need.

We’ve always been big fans of Jeff Holland, with the Auburn standout ranked all the way at No. 56 on our board a year ago. Holland is a speed rusher with intriguing upside and a great closing burst. He should have every chance to impress in year-two in Denver with many more opportunities.

Don’t sleep on Reed either, whose tape we broke down here. His motor and tenacity can’t be overlooked.

The names and contracts might be smaller this time around but a rotation of Watson and Holland, with Reed being groomed on the practice squad, can get after the passer.

Oregon rookie, Justin Hollins, will factor in at times and is the most versatile as a back-seven defender who’s reliable, long, and can drop in coverage a bit. Though, as we explained in our inside linebacker breakdown, he feels like he’ll get more of a shot inside than on the edge.

The Baus

The Broncos cornerback room is led by three oddly similar and versatile cornerbacks, as Chris Harris Jr., Bryce Callahan, and Kareem Jackson are all a bit undersized and tough as nails.

They can all play outside and are among the best in the league at covering the slot, with high-end ball skills. However, the ability to defend big wideouts is lacking despite the physicality all three possess.

That’s where the second unit comes in. De’Vante Bausby and Isaac Yiadom are both bigger defenders and can actually play as press cornerbacks, if needed, with the length to match up in man coverage as well.

Bausby’s the most intriguing of the two simply because he’s coming off a terrific spring in the now-defunct AAF. Unlike Yiadom, Bausby was hand-picked after Fangio became the new head coach, a nice endorsement of his fit in Denver’s new scheme. 

It’s easy to see why Bausby would have caught Fangio’s eye when watching the tape. He has great instincts in off coverage, with a terrific closing burst coming downhill and a ball hawk’s mentality.

In the Alliance, there weren’t many receivers who could beat him. We’ll see if that proves to translate in his second stint in the League.

Bausby’s speed and quickness allowed him to mirror receivers, putting them on his back hip and running routes for them.

More importantly for Fangio, those traits are part of the reason why Bausby was outstanding playing in zone coverage. His length doesn’t hurt either as he can make up for losing a half step and is there to make plays on the ball.

His ability to make clutch, game-defining plays like this game-winning pick-two doesn’t hurt either. Note: this play is particularly noteworthy because Bausby’s playing closer to the line and is actually lined up in the slot.

The questions surrounding Bausby, who’s already looked good in OTAs, are all about how his skills will translate with a major upgrade in competition. How fast is he when faced with the NFL’s best and how good are those instincts when facing Hall of Fame-caliber play callers and quarterbacks are the big questions he’ll have to answer.

Still, he’s worth taking a flier on and could be the rare immediate contributor at cornerback, which is something rookies are rarely able to do.

Yiadom had to find that out first-hand last season, as the rookie struggled when thrown into the fire as Denver’s depleted cornerback group stumbled to the finish line.

In fact, the Boston College and Senior Bowl standout had his best game at the end of the year with a splendid pick of Phillip Rivers in Week 17 and some hard-nosed plays on the ball.

In college, Yiadom always looked best suited in press coverage up close to the line but he slowly showed more instincts and quickness to play in zone while appearing in more off-coverage looks. His instincts seemed to pick up as he was closing on the ball quicker, showing much-improved eye discipline. 

That’s just what Denver’s Ol’ Ball Coach will want to hear, as reliable depth pieces in the secondary should allow Fangio to mix up coverages on the back end and have some real fun defending the pass in 2019.

With production from a versatile group of edge rushers who can all get after the passer, added to longer physical corners who can complement some of the most versatile defensive backs in the NFL, the Broncos have the makings of a special pass defense.

Now, those backups just need to ball out when called on.