For just over five quarters last September, Josey Jewell looked like he was at the brink of a career breakthrough.
In Week 1, his hit on a scrambling Daniel Jones led to a fumble that the Broncos recovered, providing a key red-zone stop that preserved a two-score lead late in the third quarter of what would be a 27-13 win over the New York Giants.
A week later, he had two tackles for loss in just three series, tackling James Robinson and Laviska Shenault for losses of 2 and 8 yards, respectively, after catching passes from Trevor Lawrence. Jewell appeared to be a step ahead of everyone else on the field.
At the start of his fourth season, he appeared to be arriving as a playmaking inside linebacker. Coming off of a season in which he was a full-time starter for the first time as a pro after starting 12 of 31 games in 2019 and 2020, he was making the leap, and was arguably the Broncos’ best player on defense at the start of the season.
And then, disaster struck.
His next tackle came moments later, while covering a punt after the Denver offense went three-and-out. As he tackled Jacksonville’s Jamal Agnew, he tore his pectoral muscle.
His season ended, and the Broncos defense wasn’t quite the same after that. In the brief burst before Jewell’s injury, the Broncos allowed one first down every 3.92 pass plays and one every 9.00 rushing plays. The rest of the season, those rates were a first down every 3.06 pass plays and every 4.31 running plays.
Obviously, the work at the start of the season represents a small sample size. But Jewell’s injury was the first big blow absorbed by an inside-linebacking corps that eventually saw Alexander Johnson, Micah Kiser and trade acquisition Kenny Young all miss time with injuries, with Johnson also suffering a torn pectoral muscle.
A two-year, $11-million deal doesn’t break the bank, and the Broncos’ potential emphasis on dime packages means that Jewell’s exposure in coverage situations that aren’t ideal for his skill set should be limited.
If Baron Browning picks up where he left off in a promising rookie season, his abilities in space should pair well with Jewell’s proficiency in the box. That should allow the Broncos to be stout in their base package — especially with D.J. Jones’ ability to penetrate against the run likely clearing space for the two inside linebackers to operate.
However, if Jewell returns bearing the guided-missile look that he showed early last year, he won’t just be able to function well — he could flourish and explode.
