At edge rusher, the Broncos are betting on the future being different from the past

The returns from the Broncos’ edge rushers could be spectacular.

Last year, Randy Gregory was among the NFL leaders in pressure rate. And before injuries began chipping away at Bradley Chubb, he became one of just 15 rookies to post at least a dozen sacks in his first NFL season.

Of course, you can not discuss either without noting the games that they have missed — Chubb to multiple injuries, Gregory to a series of suspensions, as well as an injury that sent him to injured reserve for four weeks last season, a year in which he played a career-high 12 regular-season games.

But if both hit, the Broncos have a substantial cap value from Chubb and Gregory. Combined, they will account for a $19,926,000 under the 2022 salary cap, according to the data posted by OvertheCap.com. Las Vegas’ pass-rush duo of Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones come in at over $5 million below that figure — $14,489,566. But in 2023, that figure nearly triples, to $39,882,000.

Denver’s duo comes in well below the combined cap charges for the Los Angeles Chargers’ pass-rush pair of Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa — $37,000,000 — as well as the Kansas City Chiefs’ combination of Frank Clark and Chris Jones, who consume a combined $43,115,666 of the Chiefs’ cap.

So, if Gregory and Chubb hit, the Broncos have a bargain — at least for this year.

“We feel with [Gregory] and Chubb and the group we have in the secondary, that he’s going to be that much better here as a Bronco,” Broncos general manager George Paton said March 18.

That said, the Broncos’ duo is far less proven than the ones of their division foes. There is an element of risk with two players who have missed a combined 23 regular-season games in the last two seasons alone.

It’s not simply a roll of the dice. That analogy implies random chance.

The Broncos believe their environment, their support system, Gregory’s family and friends and his own progress over the two years since he last was in violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy will ensure that he remains clean and available.

“We talked to a lot of people within the Cowboys’ organization and people who have been around Randy in his past,” Paton said. We felt we knew him, and then when we spoke with him, we really felt good about it.

“You always do your due diligence. You hear things, you read things and you talk to people. We felt good about the people we talked to, and then when I talked with him, that’s all I needed to do.

“Where he came, where he is now, and how he got here —he comes from a great family and two-parent home. He has a wonderful wife and daughter. It’s a success story, we feel really good about him.”

Now, it’s upon Gregory to take that success story to the next level — and to finally realize the promise that was so tantalizing when he went through the draft process seven years ago.

And it’s also upon Chubb having the good fortune to avoid the bad injury luck he has had since Week 4 of the 2019 season, when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament, setting off nearly three years of frustration.

“ With Bradley, this will be his first offseason in a couple years that he has the full offseason to take advantage and work on his craft. I feel really good about Bradley,” Paton said. “Randy — I feel really good about him. It’s hard to predict the future, but we also have other guys.”

Specifically, restricted free agent Malik Reed — their 2020 sack leader on whom the Broncos have the right of first refusal — and 2021 seventh-round pick Jonathon Cooper.

“You need to have a good wave, especially in our division,” Paton said. “You need to have four guys rushing the passer, and I feel like we do.”