ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Window (n): An interval or opportunity for action.
It’s a word we use often in sports, “window.” Whether it’s about a team’s chances to win a Super Bowl over a certain period of time or a player’s time left in the league, it’s usually used to describe something that is closing, rather than opening.
For the Denver Broncos outside linebacking corps, one window has just been busted wide open, but another one is quickly closing, leaving for a brief moment in time where the air is smoothly flowing in through both.
Von Miller. Shaq Barrett. Shane Ray. Bradley Chubb.
All signs point to this eye-popping group only being together for only one year, because as Bradley Chubb—the wide open window—comes in, it appears as if Shane Ray—the closing window—is in his last year as a Bronco, as the team declined to pick up the fifth-year option on his contract earlier this offseason.
Read: BSN Exclusive—Shane Ray opens up on Broncos decision to decline his fifth-year option
The window may be small, but the opportunity is vast.
On Tuesday, the very first day of OTAs for the Denver Broncos, BSN Denver spoke exclusively with one piece of that corps about that opportunity.
“It might even be a better season than 2015,” said Shaq Barrett of the pass rush, referencing the season in which Dever led the league with 52 sacks. “I don’t know how many sacks we had but I want to break every sack record—as a team, as a group, as an individual—we have the people to do it.”
“We have the mindset, the mentality and then bringing in Chubb—we have guys that are ready to take advantage of the opportunities,” he added. “I think we have all the right people and we’re going to have them in all the right places when it comes down to it. We’re hungry, we’re always hungry, we’re going to stay hungry and get after the quarterback.”
Of course, in that 2015 season, the pass rush led the Broncos to a Super Bowl championship. Since then, though, things have gone downhill. The team’s sack total dropped by 10 in 2016 and dropped off another nine in 2017. A near 20 sack drop off in just two years, and a 20 spot drop in the NFL sack rankings to go with it.
So what’s to blame?
First came the retirement of Demarcus Ware before the 2016 season, a huge loss from not only a leadership standpoint but a production standpoint and a threat standpoint. Teams were not comfortable putting all of their focus on Von Miller with a future hall-of-famer on the other side.
Next came the injury to Shane Ray, who was primed for a breakout season, in 2016. Without Ray for most of the season—and an extremely hampered Ray when they did have him—the Broncos went from a once-unstoppable quartet to just a formidable duo.
Now, Ray will be at full strength and Ware has been replaced, or so the Broncos hope.
“I have to watch the film but he’s a great guy so far in the meeting rooms and everything,” Barrett said, holding his judgment of the rookie’s first true practice while noting he was mostly focused on himself. “Hanging around and talking to him, he’s cool so far. I think once I’m able to watch it on film, I’ll see he’s everything that he should be as the No. 5 pick.”
If all goes to plan, the new-age quartet will sing a tune of terror for opposing quarterbacks but, again, it’s not exactly a secret that they’ll likely only have one U.S. tour on the books. After that, most believe it’ll be Miller, Chubb and Barrett for the foreseeable future and that, of course, would mean Barrett, set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season, would need a new contract.
“This is where I want to be. I think I control my destiny,” the former undrafted free agent said of that contract. “If I play well enough, they’re going to want to give me a contract. If I don’t play well, they aren’t going to give me a contract. I control my own destiny—I haven’t thought about—I still have to play well. If I don’t play well they aren’t going to want me. I still have to do my part.”
“My agent was talking to them before I signed my tender and stuff and he said they had pretty good discussions but other than that, it’s up to my play on the field, that’s all it’s going to come down to.”
In the end, talk is cheap, but sacks are expensive and the window of opportunity is wide open.
“Last year was unacceptable, we have to come out here and show y’all because talking isn’t really gonna do anything. We’re gonna show y’all when the time comes.”
Mark your calendars.
