Broncos 2022 Training Camp Preview: Edge rushers

You hear it often from general manager George Paton, coach Nathaniel Hackett and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero:

“You can never have enough pass rushers.”

And it would come as no surprise if the trio keeps at least six edges on the 53-man roster.

Six edge rushers at a position where only two players start seems like imbalance. But it reflects the sport today — as well as the history of the two players at the top of the depth chart.

That said, unless Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory have seasons that belie their history, you can expect to see plenty of work from the reserves.

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Starters: Bradley Chubb, Randy Gregory

Chubb was one of the more imposing and dominant players on the field during OTAs. No one was more disruptive to Russell Wilson on a consistent basis.

“He’s a force,” Hackett said last month. “When he knows what he’s doing, he’s definitely somebody that we would have to take account for.”

The ankle problems that dogged him last year seemed a thousand miles away.

“You can tell that he’s comfortable,” nose tackle Mike Purcell said. “Last year with the ankle — even coming around the edge — he would say that he could feel it. But now, you can see him coming around that edge and it’s nothing.

“He can bend, he can move, so he’s looking how he was his rookie year.”

Chubb noted during OTAs that the last time he felt this good was in the offseason after his 12-sack rookie season. The observations of teammates offer validation. But facts are facts; since he tore his ACL in Week 4 of 2019, he’s missed more games (24) than he’s played (21).

With Gregory, a similar equation defines him. Thanks to injuries and substance-abuse suspensions, he has missed more career games (63) than he’s played (53, including playoffs).

On the positive side, Gregory appears to be recovering on schedule. He was a constant presence at OTAs and minicamp, taking mental repetitions. He stayed involved and engaged — at least, as much as he could.

But his March rotator-cuff surgery, coming after a season in which he spent five weeks on injured reserve, offers a reminder of the risk involved.

The Broncos’ acquisition of Gregory seemed on the surface to be a surprise. That’s because Broncos general manager George Paton has prized production over potential in most of his acquisitions.

From re-signing Justin Simmons and Shelby Harris in his first offseason on the job to his early-round draft picks of players such as Pat Surtain II, Javonte Williams and Nik Bonitto, Paton’s high-stakes gambles saw him betting on proven production.

With Gregory, Paton cast his lot with a player who has never had more than 6 sacks in a season. Gregory’s career sack total of 16.5 translates to an average of 5.3 sacks per 17 games. His single-season career-high for sacks is 6, accomplished in 2019 and 2021.

But last year, he was among the league’s best at generating pressure.

In 2021, Randy Gregory’s rate of one pressure every 6.98 pass-rush snaps ranked 11th among 94 edge rushers with at least 200 pass-rush snaps, according to the data compiled by @PFF.

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) March 15, 2022

Trading for Russell Wilson is the biggest gamble of Paton’s Broncos tenure. That’s because of the sheer amount of resources required to acquire him. In draft capital, player capital and finally, the actual capital of Wilson’s next contract, the cost is enormous. But Wilson is a nine-time Pro Bowler. If he retired today, his tomorrows would eventually include a bust in Canton. If Wilson maintains his level, he will be worth the investment.

The signing of Gregory is Paton’s biggest risk to date. For Gregory to be worth $14 million a year and $28 million guaranteed, he must be more productive than he was in Dallas. And he must hit that higher production level in spite of encroaching age; he turns 30 in November.

But even if Chubb and Gregory are healthy and available, expect a more liberal edge-rusher rotation than in past years.

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Reserves: Malik Reed, Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto, Christopher Allen, Aaron Patrick, Jonathan Kongbo

Reed worked in place of Gregory throughout OTAs, filling the same role he has handled throughout his career: spot starter. But those spots have been frequent. Injuries to Chubb and Von Miller — and the eventual trade of the latter — mean that Reed started 34 of a possible 49 games to date in his career.

Last year, with Chubb sidelined for most of the first half of the season and Miller traded after Week 8, Reed’s pressure rate was the lowest of his career, per the data compiled by Pro Football Focus. With one pressure every 14.8 pass-rush snaps, he failed to match his work from 2020 (one every 12.3 pass-rush snaps) and 2019 (one every 11.7 pass-rush snaps).

Reed’s QB hit rate declined, too; he had five quarterback hits last year — one every 80 pass-rush snaps. A year earlier, his 17 hits gave him one every 25.2 snaps. Experience gives him an advantage, and because Evero’s scheme is similar to that of Vic Fangio, he knows what he’s doing.

The two second-year Ohio State alums will be worth watching. Browning, a starter in the second half of the season last year at inside linebacker, is back on the edge, which he played for the Buckeyes.

Cooper, whose promising preseason last year allowed him to stick on the 53-man roster as a seventh-round rookie, missed almost all of OTAs and minicamp following surgery on his left ring finger. He suffered the injury May 23 during the first session of Phase 3 of OTAs.

Browning’s burst off the edge caught teammates’ eyes at OTAs.

“It’s crazy when it comes to Baron,” Chubb said. “The natural skills he has for the position — it’s amazing. You’ll see him go out there and he just throws his shoulder down. To him it feels like he’s doing just that, but on film, it looks like the craziest thing ever.”

You can read more about Browning in my profile of him.

For Bonitto, the Broncos’ second-round pick, his first NFL offseason saw flashes of the brilliance he displayed at Oklahoma. When working against an offensive line that was a mix of second- and third-teamers, he frequently exploded into the backfield off the edge.

Speed is the name of Bonitto’s game, and he appeared to be as advertised.

“He’s very fast. He kind of reminds me of how Baron plays. They both are very speedy guys off the edge. I see a lot of potential in him. There’s a lot more to go with just understanding the plays and understanding the system, but he’s going to be good.”

Added Chubb: “He’s in that Baron range when it comes to the natural bend. His get-off is crazy. He’s such a finesse guy. He moves around tackles and goes past them. It’s been fun to watch him grow.”

But for the handful of snaps against the first team witnessed by media in the spring, Bonitto struggled to generate consistent pressure. He also found difficulty at the point of attack against the run. Technique refinement and work in the weight room should help him improve.

“There’s a lot more to go with just understanding the plays and understanding the system,” Jones said, “but he’s going to be good.”

Patrick could get lost in the shuffle given the Day Two draft investment made in Browning and Bonitto the last two years.

Allen got the largest signing bonus of any undrafted Bronco this year: $30,000, plus a $150,00 base-salary guarantee. The financial data alone reveals his potential prominence in the Broncos’ plans. The broken foot he suffered in Alabama’s season opener last year against Miami sent him tumbling from the middle rounds out of the draft entirely.

Given the depth the Broncos possess behind Gregory and Chubb, it would be no surprise if they are cautious with Allen, who has an advantage coming from Alabama’s pro-style program, but will be working from behind after watching OTAs from the sideline.

“They expose them to a lot of pro-type of schemes. He’s been good so far and we’re excited,” Evero said in May. “You get him mentally prepared and all of that stuff but at the end of the day, he has to get healthy.”

Kongbo, a veteran of two CFL stints with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, fills out the group. This is Kongbo’s second NFL shot; he was in camp with the San Francisco 49ers two years ago. Of course, that was the year the NFL didn’t play a single preseason game due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Any game reps he receives in this year’s preseason will be his first in the NFL. The 266-pound product of Surrey, B.C. had 3 sacks for the Blue Bombers last season.

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SUMMARY

The Broncos’ depth is likely to be tested at some point this season. But that might not be the worst thing in the long-term equation. With Chubb playing on his fifth-year option, the Broncos need to cultivate options if injuries strike again.

Chubb and Gregory could become one of the AFC’s best pass-rushing duos. If they stay healthy, they could match the pairings put together elsewhere in the AFC West. But if not, the Broncos will need players like Browning and Bonitto to turn their promising practices into game-day results — perhaps quicker than expected.