The worst attainable factor that may occur to an NFL veteran in a contract yr is struggling a season-ending damage. However that is what the soccer fates had in retailer for Denver Broncos linebacker Josey Jewell.
Jewell suffered a pectoral tear early in 2021 — the final yr on his deal. As a substitute of going quietly into that good evening, although, Jewell caught round.
NFL guidelines being what they’re, he could not apply and all that from injured reserve however he might nonetheless present as much as the constructing — for extra than simply therapy. Jewell stayed within the assembly rooms and have become an auxiliary coach for the Broncos’ earlier regime.
Jewell’s dedication to the Broncos did not go unnoticed by GM George Paton and when it got here time to resolve the linebacker’s destiny, he was supplied a two-year, $11 million contract. Now firmly again within the fold however with a brand new teaching workers led by Nathaniel Hackett, Jewell is as soon as once more on the middle of the Broncos’ protection.
As coach-in-the-wings final yr, one participant Jewell obtained to spend time with and research was Jonas Griffith. A late-summer deal noticed the San Francisco 49ers commerce Griffith to Denver in alternate for a few late-round draft picks.
Griffith was relegated principally to particular groups responsibility even after Jewell, and his beginning counterpart Alexander Johnson, was misplaced for the season. After Justin Strnad could not reduce the mustard, Denver’s subsequent intuition was to insert rookie Baron Browning into the lineup and purchase one other linebacker with beginning expertise from L.A. Enter Kenny Younger.
From the halfway level on, that was Denver’s beginning inside linebacker duo: Browning and Younger. Then Younger obtained damage. After having tried and failed with Strnad, the Broncos turned to Griffith, who began the final 4 video games subsequent to Browning.
On Thursday, Jewell supplied a critique of Griffith’s play down the stretch and what his outlook is in 2022.
“You positively noticed a few steps within the final couple video games of final yr of the place he’s excelled,” Jewell stated of Griffith. “Whether or not it’s the quickness of the popularity of the performs, the man is at all times quick, so that you at all times see that on the sphere and simply the physicalness that began to creep up and are available into the final couple of video games.”
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Griffith completed these 4 video games with 40 mixed tackles (10 per-game avg.). He was a whirling dervish and everywhere in the discipline for Denver.
“He confirmed that he can long-arm guys, he can two-hand them and swim off of them or arm over,” Jewell stated of Griffith. “And simply his understanding of the sport. Route ideas and stuff like that, so it’s been enjoyable watching him progress to date.”
Earlier than OTAs, it might have been protected to imagine that Jewell’s beginning associate in 2022 could be Browning. However Hackett and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero had totally different plans, transferring Browning to hurry linebacker.
The subsequent best thought could be to pencil within the free-agent addition Alex Singleton subsequent to Jewell. In spite of everything, Singleton led the Philadelphia Eagles in tackles twice and brings expertise to the desk.
However the darkhorse to win the opposite beginning job is Griffith and it would not shock me within the least to see him leapfrog Singleton. Griffith is longer and sooner, plus, he is twitched up.
Including to the equation is Griffith’s drive to be a starter, as he revealed on Thursday. Regardless that he has to basically show himself another time to a brand new teaching workers. That is nothing new for a former undrafted man, although.
“On daily basis is a contest,” Griffith stated. “I don’t assume I’ve something solidified. On daily basis is a chance for me to indicate this teaching workers what I can do and to enhance on daily basis.”
Solely time will inform whether or not Jewell’s glowing phrases for Griffith foreshadow the Broncos’ 2022 beginning linebacker duo. Even when it does, that second linebacker would not venture to see a ton of snaps as Coach Evero likes to function out of sub-packages, which normally sees a defensive again change him.
That is the scuttlebutt, anyway, however the fact is, Evero is a first-timer so we do not actually know what his protection will seem like. The sub-package stuff is all conjecture primarily based on how the Los Angeles Rams operated final yr defensively, of which he coached the secondary and coordinated the passing sport.
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