Mitch Unrein is following Orlando Franklin and Mike McCoy.
The rotational defensive lineman for the Denver Broncos since 2011 signed a two-year contract with the San Diego Chargers on Wednesday. He follows Franklin, who signed with San Diego this offseason, and McCoy, who was the Broncos offensive coordinator for four seasons before he became the Chargers head coach two seasons ago.
There’s no doubt Unrein is a “great locker room guy” (whatever that means). He’s an even better person. The fact he grew up in Eaton as a member of Broncos Country just made him even more of a fan favorite.
In terms of the media, Unrein was always available and a good spokesperson for the team.
But this last season, he didn’t dress in nine of the 17 games for the Broncos. And even the time he did play in Denver over his career, he was nothing more than a rotational player. Unrein is best known for the touchdown he caught from Peyton Manning against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012. Granted, it was fun but that’s not exactly the highlight you want as a NFL defensive lineman.
Fans ache over Unrein’s departure since he was a fan favorite and he signed with a division rival. The media says, “he’s a great locker room guy,” which is just slang for “he gave great quotes.”
In terms of the overall success for the Broncos and what it means? Given he didn’t play in half of Denver’s games last season, Unrein’s departure doesn’t mean that much.
