Broncos Film Room: Breaking down some exciting rookie debuts

In the midst of a quarterback battle, it’s natural for the men under center to be the main focus. But the preseason is also a great time to evaluate rookies who generally get more playing time and are exposed to their first taste of NFL football.

The Denver Broncos got a pleasant surprise on Thursday as they saw multiple notable performances from the 2017 class in their debut against the Chicago Bears. Whether they’re on the roster bubble or expected to be immediate starters, these three rookies, in particular, stood out.

Could Jamal Carter be a sub-package ace in-the-box?

Carter arrived in Denver as an undrafted rookie, coming into the league as a bit of a reclamation project after a collegiate career that didn’t necessarily live up to his recruiting hype.

The Miami product comes in as a physical player with a noteworthy size-speed combination (he’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds) and a bit of a reputation as a big hitter. He led the Hurricanes in tackles as a senior, but his ability in coverage has been questioned.

That profile fits nicely for new Broncos head coach Vance Joseph who loved to use a safety up-close to the line playing out of sub package formations (particularly a 4-2-5) than base as the Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator in 2016. In that role—a safety in the box asked to use his physicality and tackling prowess—Carter is an intriguing talent, and should fit much better than as a high-safety where he was used primarily in college. Because of this, Carter was essentially utilized as a linebacker in his first game as a Bronco, lining up all over the formation on the weak side, strong side or over center in an interior backer type of position.

In this new role, Carter shined. The undrafted Hurricane made a mark immediately. Stacked up against the line, he created pressure up the A-gap forcing a short throw from Mike Glennon on 3rd-and-7 leading to an errant incompletion.

His second play of the game was even more impactful. On 3rd-and-3, Carter was in coverage, having to run with a tight end up close to the line. On a botched snap, he quickly read the fumble and sprinted up to the line, recovering the ball before anyone else, with his awareness and recovery speed standing out.

His presence against the run was felt as well as he filled lanes, was quick to read and react and showed physicality taking on opposing blockers.

Carter’s usage up against the line was a constant theme throughout the game as he saw consistent playing time from the defense’s second series on. His impact as a blitzer was felt immediately as was his tackling ability and impact against the run. He was often used in third-down situations proving to be a valuable asset.

While his cover skills might not have been lauded as a true high-safety in college, Carter is plenty competent for a hybrid linebacker who needs to primarily play in underneath zones. He’s also more than athletic enough to turn and run with guys on short to intermediate routes, playing fast all game and sticking with the Bears backs when lined up one-on-one with them.

Carter’s night wasn’t perfect as he took some bad angles coming downhill to tackle at times. He lost contain as a result on certain occasions when used as an outside defender. He’ll try to attack downhill and make a big play instead of sticking to his assignments, an issue he’s had since college.

However, his tackling technique really stands out as a plus, and he plays with an edge that fits his new position – teammates are already comparing him to Deone Bucannon – and this defense’s mindset.

Carter’s  play was impressive, if we were to place a bet on a UDFA to make the 53 man roster, he’d be the front-runner coming out of the first preseason game. Beyond his individual performance, his usage in preseason was very telling. Even in a game in which defenses are notoriously vanilla, his usage all over the formation—as a linebacker who moves like a safety—was very informative to how Denver’s defense could change under its new coaching staff. Expect Carter, Will Parks, and even T.J. Ward to play as de-facto linebackers throughout the season and for sub packages to become the default base defense in Denver more often than not with this subtle wrinkle in place.

As the Broncos haven’t prioritized the inside linebacker spot the past couple offseasons, the depth at safety could prove to be crucial in supplementing the position and adding a different element of speed and cover skills to the interior backer spot. Something different from what Corey Nelson or Zaire Anderson can offer opposite Brandon Marshall in that same role. This’ll be a schematic trend worth monitoring as the offseason progresses and we begin to prepare for competitive football to start Week 1.

Garett Bolles looked much nastier than he did raw

The main difference between the undrafted Carter and the 20th-overall pick Garett Bolles was in playing time. Bolles was only featured in the offense’s first two series with the rest of the starters on the offensive line. This was a very encouraging sign considering he came onto the team very much in doubt to be the starter and has seemingly already established his status on the line’s premium spot.

His performance Thursday only helped pave his road to becoming the starter, as he clearly outplayed his competitors at both tackle positions, flashing more athleticism and nastiness while also playing a cleaner and more efficient game than any other tackle.

Bolles was tested on his first three plays as a pro and lost his footing but quickly recovered, showing great balance, ability to anchor and especially strong hands in keeping rushers in check as he regained ground.

After that, he began to mix it up, creating push in the run game and moving flawlessly in pass protection. What stood out most was how Bolles didn’t reach or overextend himself, staying steady and shadowing rushers with ease.

While he wasn’t necessarily tested by premier NFL edge rushers, Bolles handled everything that was thrown his way. When the Bears most talented edge rusher Leonard Floyd—a former top 10 pick—took him on, Bolles kept him at bay to the outside without trouble. The same occurred with veteran specialist Willie Young.

Against the run, Bolles showed nice leverage and sound technique staying on top of his defender.

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He does need to be better finishing off blocks in the run game to open up even bigger holes, and it’ll be interesting to see him in extended playing time against a more talented front than Chicago’s.

A great raw athlete, it’ll also be nice to see Bolles on screens or pulls where he can get out in space and to see him effectively get out to the second level regularly to watch him wreck havoc.

Considering No. 72 is coming off only one season of Power-5 football, the former Ute looked the part with lots of un tapped potential still remaining. A very encouraging sign.

De’Angelo Henderson’s big debut

The star of the contest with his game winning touchdown run—coming on 3rd-and-22 no less—De’Angelo Henderson is the other rookie that really stood out and deserved a closer look.

In all honesty, Henderson’s start was a mixed bag. He didn’t find many holes with the backup offensive line group on the field but also didn’t always look as quick off the bat as he could be.

Once he does get more comfortable with the speed of the pro game—a bigger adjustment for him than others, coming from the FCS —watch out. Henderson showed some great feet, lateral mobility, and most importantly elusiveness. At his size; 207-pounds of power packed into a 5-foot-7 frame, his elusiveness combined with his burst once he gets to the second level make him a real handful to deal with.

His ability to make guys miss was apparent, and his ability to change directions and navigate through lanes was also clear. As the game wore on and he got more carries, he began to get into a rhythm and started breaking a few more tackles as well.

To top it all off, he showed some impressive long speed to win the game. As a runner, he’s clearly very complete.

Henderson’s skills were on display for all to see, and what we saw wasn’t all that different from the runner Henderson showed himself to be in his college tape. The big question for him was how he’d transition and how dynamic and explosive he’d appear when matched up against pros. The immediate success and quick return are really enticing. With a bit more grooming and experience, De’Angelo could become a real factor in the Broncos’ future.