DENVER — Leadership comes in various forms. If the Broncos are to successfully navigate the pandemic-altered terrain, it will have to come both from grizzled veterans and still-fresh young talent.
Among the veterans, few Broncos have seen more than defensive end Jurrell Casey. On the current roster, only safety Kareem Jackson and offensive tackle Demar Dotson have played more NFL seasons than Casey. But no Bronco has more pro experience as a team captain that Casey, a six-year captain with the Tennessee Titans before his March trade to Denver.
“I’m stepping in full throttle to try and be a leader of this team,” he said. “That’s all I know and that’s all I’ve been around — strong leadership qualities. I can’t let that change now because I’m somewhere different.
Still, Casey knew that if he were to assume a vocal-leadership role, his new teammates would have to be willing to let him have it.
“I just ask that the guys allow me to come in and step into that role. These guys have opened their arms so far, and they’ve been picking my brain,” Casey explained. “They’ve asked a lot of questions, and I think that shows that these guys have confidence in my expertise and my ability around the league.”
In asking those questions, the Broncos have seen just a taste of Casey’s leadership. Much of it will come as practices grow more intense in the build-up to the regular season.
A reporter asked Casey about what sort of leadership and advice he would give to second-year defensive end Dre’Mont Jones, a promising young interior pass rusher whose skillset mirrors the one Casey brought into the league in 2011.
Casey’s response was exactly what you would expect from someone with his well-earned locker-room gravitas.
“When Dre’Mont has questions or if he needs help with anything, I’m going to be there first-hand and be hands on with him as much as I can,” Casey said, “As soon as he is ready to get out there and get some work in, we’ll definitely be able to do that when we’re able to.
“I take pride in keeping the D-line out there a little bit, so we’ll get some extra work in. I’m sure a lot of guys will have some questions then and I can show a lot of guys a lot of different things that I’ve learned [during] the time I’ve been in the league.”
Leadership and teaching through lessons learned isn’t restricted to Casey — or even to players in their thirties.
Nov 18, 2018; Carson, CA, USA; Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay (30) smiles before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Take running back Phillip Lindsay, who joined the Broncos as part of the team’s 2018 rookie class. It was the first crop of rookies after the Broncos shifted their player-acquisition strategy to one focused on extensive college experience and leadership attributes. Lindsay fit right in; he became a CU team captain as a sophomore in 2016.
The new generation of Broncos to arrive in recent years — players like Lindsay, Courtland Sutton, Bradley Chubb, Dalton Risner, Drew Lock and others — joined a team that still featured a smattering of veterans dating back to Super Bowl 50. To some degree, they deferred to them.
But just three players remain from that Super Bowl team: inside linebacker Todd Davis, kicker Brandon McManus and outside linebacker Von Miller.
It is time for the young Broncos like Lindsay to take the baton.
“I do think it is being passed our way,” Lindsay sai. “The younger dudes came up and we were a more mature younger team at the time. Now, I think that it’s just time for us to hold each other more accountable. We have more say now. We can voice our opinions more now than when we first started.”
Lindsay’s leadership by example in his effort and performance was apparent in his rookie season. But now Lindsay possesses two years of experiences with his teammates and the maturity and wisdom that comes with them.
“You get to know each of the guys. You’re in the NFL. You’re around a bunch of grown men that understand what they need to do to stay on this team because everybody needs to feed their family,” he said. “It’s not about babysitting or telling somebody, ‘You need to do this. You need to do that.’ It’s about holding people accountable and when they start to fall off or slip you kind of talk to them about it and get them right back on the same level as you.
“If we do that with each other at good times and bad times, we’re going to be just fine. We’ve been through a lot. The younger class, we’ve been through winning some games, losing some games and then being in tough games.
Casey and Lindsay are not the only leaders, of course.
“It’s all of us holding each other accountable,” Lindsay said. “It’s not just on Von to tell — you know what I mean? It’s on all of us being on the same page.
“I think this year you’re going to see a more mature team all around because you’re third-year players are going to be older now. A lot of us are going to continue to peak. Then you’ve got some older players that are already here. You’ve got some younger ones that can watch the middle to the older ones that are going to make their game come a lot faster than even us at a young age.”
All of them must bring more than just the numbers they accumulate on the field. For the Broncos’ rebuilding effort to bear playoff fruit, all must help guide the team out of its four-year trek through the NFL wilderness and back to the bright lights of the playoffs.
“Now all you can do now is put all that together and come out on top and win a lot more games than you lose,” Lindsay said. “I think with the leadership that we have this year it should happen. It’s not just one person.”
