Broncos Film Room: How Mark Barron fits in Denver

Earlier this week, the Denver Broncos signed Mark Barron to beef up their linebacking corps. With Todd Davis battling a lingering calf injury and 2020 fifth-round pick Justin Strnad out for the season due to wrist surgery, the Broncos needed to make a move.

Barron was the seventh-overall selection in the 2012 NFL Draft and initially entered the league as a safety. He was traded to the St. Louis Rams halfway through the 2014 season and made the transition to linebacker in 2015.

While he has not lived up to his draft selection, Barron hit his stride when he changed positions and has produced at a sufficient level throughout his career. While he may not be a difference-maker, Barron comes to the Mile High City with a versatile skill set that will fill a role in Vic Fangio’s defense.

Strengths

Barron measures in at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds which puts him on the lower side of the spectrum when it comes to linebackers. While that may sound concerning, Barron’s 2019 film in Pittsburgh suggests otherwise—see No. 26 below.

Barron does a nice job of diagnosing the run and is able to take on the guard and shed his block to make a tackle at the line of scrimmage.

On this play, Barron completely sacrifices his body by taking out the pulling guard and causing a traffic jam in the hole.

Downfield this time, Barron is able to shed the block of the center and stop the screen for a gain of 13 yards on 3rd-and-20.

Barron’s toughness can also be utilized on passing downs in stunts.

The stunt fails on this play since it is not able to generate pressure, but Barron takes out the center and causes mayhem in front of Russell Wilson.

Speed is another one of Barron’s positive attributes, especially when he is called on to blitz.

When the Steelers made the trip to Arizona, Barron was utilized often on the edge to try and counteract Kyler Murray’s speed.

The right side of the Cardinals’ offensive line is unable to pass off the blitz quick enough and Barron is able to get home and corral the elusive quarterback for a sack.

Barron is asked to blitz again here against the Seahawks and pressures Wilson into Stephon Tuitt to split the sack.

Pass coverage isn’t necessarily a strength of Barron’s but he shows good enough instincts and athleticism to make some plays and fill some tough roles.

The Rams try to pull a fast one on the Steelers’ defense with the quick snap. Barron is able to react quickly and get to the flat to cover Todd Gurley.

The technique is suspect, but Barron is able to play the middle of the field role in Tampa 2 coverage on this play. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Broncos try and use him in this regard in the passing game.

Weaknesses

In 2019, Barron occasionally found himself in trouble with the Steelers’ fanbase because of his play against the pass.

Barron’s technique, or lack thereof, was also on display early in the year against Cincinnati. Tyler Eifert easily gets by Barron when he breaks across the middle of the field, for a 13-yard gain on 3rd-and-6.

The Steelers are running Cover-3 man match coverage on this play. Barron’s responsibility is any receiver that crosses the short middle of the field. He struggles to process the route combination to the field and a five-yard route nets a 30-yard gain.

There is man coverage across the board for the Steelers’ defense and Barron is lined up across from Eifert. Eifert gets a good release and Barron is just chasing him from then on. Andy Dalton delivers a great back shoulder ball but Barron is unable to disrupt the route or pass in any way.

Barron usually does a good job of playing to or beyond his size, but it’s not rare to see bigger guards erase him from the play.

Broncos Fit

The Broncos have neglected the linebacker position since their Super Bowl run in 2015. While they have been able to find bargain deals with players like Brandon Marshall and Todd Davis, linebacker has been one of the weakest positions for years in Denver.

Mark Barron is not a difference-making player but his veteran presence and versatility could prove to be essential to the Broncos in 2020. Assuming Todd Davis, Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell play most of the snaps at linebacker, Barron could fill the situational sub-linebacker role that Justin Strnad was expected to play.