Here's why Jurrell Casey is more than just a pass rusher

DENVER — Jurrell Casey earned five Pro Bowl selections while with the Tennessee Titans. He posted seven seasons with at least five sacks, making him one of just 22 players in the last decade with that many 5-sack campaigns.

But it’s the number between five and seven that shows what he will bring: six — as in the number of times he was a Titans team captain.

Casey had not been a captain since high school when he first got the call to wear the “C” patch in the 2014 season, his fourth in the NFL. He never gave it up, not until last week’s trade sent him out of Nashville and on to Denver.

It was a deal that elicited fist pumps in Broncos Country and perplexed reactions among some of his fellow Titans teammates, including Wesley Woodyard, a six-year Bronco (2008-13) who joined Casey as a Titans captain the last six seasons.

“Stunned. Shocked. A state of unbelief,” Woodyard said. “That definitely is going to leave a lot of fans wondering how could that happen, how could a man like that leave.”

It wasn’t Casey’s choice, of course. With quarterback Ryan Tannehill signing a contract with an average annual value of $29.5 million and running back Derrick Henry receiving the franchise tag, pushing his price over $10 million for 2020, difficult choices loomed for the Titans. Casey and offensive tackle Jack Conklin were the roster casualties, with the latter moving on to the Browns as a free agent last week.

Now the Titans will need to find a new leader. A new voice to fire the team up before games. A new veteran presence to challenge the younger players to be their best — something Casey did well, considering that the Titans are one of four teams in the NFL to have four consecutive winning seasons.

Meanwhile the Broncos have a leader they desperately needed. New, young leaders are starting to emerge on the roster. But Casey is the veteran who could provide the defense a presence it has not possessed since DeMarcus Ware’s retirement.

The two best attributes of Casey’s leadership are his ability to bring teammates together and his humility to learn from others. Both of these came to the fore in his relationship with Woodyard, who joined the Titans in 2014 after six years with the Broncos.

At first, the two leaders did not click.

“Me and [Casey], we joke about this all the time: We didn’t quite see eye-to-eye,” Woodyard said. “We were just like, ‘Hey, Case, if you’re not going to make the play, and you do something in the gap, you at least have to tell me, and likewise; if I shoot a gap, I’ve got to communicate with you.’”

Building their on-field collaboration meant spending time together in the film room to learn what worked for each other, knowing that they could make the defense better as they grew together.

“From that first year, me and Jurrell challenged each other. We watched film with each other,” Woodyard said. “I can specifically remember a play in Cincinnati where we were playing a run fit, and I think this kind of got us close, I was like, ‘Jurrell, you can’t do that, because if you do this, then neither one of us was going to make a play.’”

Yeah, he’s a “game wrecker,” as Woodyard noted. Opponents know that. Casey is one of three interior defensive-line players in the NFL with at least 5 sacks in each of the last seven seasons.

“He’s a guy that opposing teams circle on the calendar every week, and they’re like, ‘We have to stop Jurrell Casey,’” Woodyard said. “He’s going to be making a lot of plays.”

But it’s the plays he will help teammates make by leading the way that matter just as much to the newest Broncos defensive lineman.

“He’s a teammate that is going to challenge his guys,” Woodyard said. “He’s going to be one of the guys out there making the most plays. I think him and Von [Miller] and [Bradley] Chubb are going to be creating havoc for the AFC West this year.”

That’s why Casey’s contribution cannot be measured simply in sacks, tackles for loss and quarterback hurries. It will be reflected in the performances of teammates like Dre’Mont Jones — whose skill set is similar to that of Casey when he broke into the league — and other front-seven players such as Dre’Mont Jones, Mike Purcell and Alexander Johnson.

If Casey contributes as he did in Tennessee, those players will improve. The Titans’ loss is about to be the Broncos’ massive gain.

“Anytime you lose a guy like that out of your locker room, it can be tough to get over,” Woodyard said. “Jurrell brings that atmosphere of being a true professional.”