The Denver Broncos have a "dog in the box" and his name is 'Baby Monster'

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — “He’s really good in the box… He’s really good in the box and he’s physical at the point of attack.”

“He’s a dog right there in that box… He’s a tenacious, nasty defender that goes out there and just likes to make plays.”

Do those sound more like words about three-time Pro Bowler, T.J. Ward or undrafted rookie Jamal Carter?

While it may sound like the Super Bowl champion, No Fly Zone cog and all-around defensive Swiss Army Knife, those two quotes were Denver Broncos’ safeties Justin Simmons and Will Parks talking about Carter, the free-agent rookie out of the University of Miami.

Carter, who led the Broncos in tackles this preseason (19) and did so while notching zero tackles in the San Francisco game due to injury, has been cracking heads on the field and turning heads all around it.

“Oh, ‘little Baby Monster?'” Said Parks of Carter. “I’ve seen a lot of things, he’s a dog right there in that box. It was good for him to go out there and get a lot of reps, he’s a good player and he practices well, too. The way he goes out there in the game is the way he goes out there and practices every day. He doesn’t lose a beat.”

And it’s not just on the field.

“For this being his first year, he knows the playbook really well at that dime position where he’s down in the box most of the time,” Simmons explained. “He’s doing a really good job, I’m proud of him.”

Earlier this offseason, Chris Harris Jr. compared the young ‘safety’ to Deone Bucannon, who is actually listed as a linebacker on the Arizona depth chart. On Thursday, against Bucannon’s Cardinals, Carter once again showed out, leading the Broncos in tackles with seven.

All the while, in the press box and in the stands, much of the chatter surrounded the growing speculation that the team may move on from the player who sure looks a lot like a sharpened version of Carter, Ward.

In an exclusive interview with BSN Denver after the game, Carter said he hasn’t paid attention to all that outside noise but also admitted he was pleased with his preseason after originally saying it was just “aiight.”

“I think I did enough to show the coaches what I’m about and give them a good taste in their mouth,” he said with a mile-wide smile that didn’t leave his face for the entirety of our conversation.

The ‘Baby Monster,’ nicknamed by Parks due to his “nasty attitude” and “that swagger that we all kind of have in the defensive backfield” plays like he’s mad at everybody. As the clock ticked towards zero on Thursday night, you could still hear Carter’s pads smashing into white jerseys from 50 yards away.

“I just go out there and be real doggy,” he said. “That’s my attitude, I’m just real doggy.”

What’s that, you ask?

“Just go out there and play like an animal.”

As you watch No. 20 make play after play, his dreads perpendicular to his back as he flies around the field and punishes opponents, it’s easy to wonder why the leading tackler at ‘The U’ last season didn’t get drafted.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

“I’m always thinking that,” he said after letting out a long laugh. “But I love being the underdog, the underdog always comes out on top. That’s just more motivation for me to go harder.”

While many have already locked Carter’s spot in on the roster, the underdog doggy monster—or something like that—is simply praying he’s done enough.

“Man, it’s nerve-racking, man,” he admitted. “It’s crazy. I’m just going to try to stay calm, try to not think about it and just put it in God’s hands. Whatever happens, happens for a reason.”

The good news for Carter, he’s already got the second-most important seal of approval, the one of his teammates.

“I mean, definitely,” Parks said of if the kid has done enough to make the team. “Obviously that’s a front-office decision, but at the same time I’m pretty sure all the guys could definitely vouch for him as far as him making the team.”

At this point, the question seems less about whether or not Carter will make the team and more about whose spot he’ll be taking.