Broncos' safety says D will be as good as 2015: 'It's going to be hell for teams'
Despite a talent exodus in free agency and other offseason mishaps, Denver's defense is confident
By
Jared Dubin
•
1 min read
The Denver Broncos are coming off a season in which they ranked first in the NFL in yards allowed per game, fourth in the NFL in points allowed per game, and first in the NFL -- by a significant margin -- in Football Outsiders' defensive DVOA, which adjusts performance for down, distance, and opponent. They capped off that magnificent regular season with a playoff run that was arguably even better, holding the NFL's No. 1, No. 3, and No. 4 scoring offenses to a combined 44 points on their way to a Super Bowl victory.
A lot has happened to potentially weaken that defense this offseason, though.
Defensive end Malik Jackson left for the Jacksonville Jaguars on a massive contract. Linebacker Danny Trevathan left for the Chicago Bears. Safety David Bruton left for Washington. Cornerback Aqib Talib suffered a gunshot wound under strange circumstances. Linebacker Brandon Marshall had surgeries on his foot and and finger. Linebacker DeMarcus Ware has been sitting out organized team activities with a back injury. Linebacker Von Miller hasn't been participating at all, due to a contract negotiation stalemate.
Still, safety Darian Stewart, among other members of the Denver defense, thinks the unit will be just as good in 2016 as it was last season.
"It's going to be hell for teams this year," Stewart said, per ESPN.com, and he wasn't the only one showing such confidence
"Kind of the same thing we thought last year," defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said. "Going into OTAs, we felt like we were going to be pretty good and then we start talking about being the best. Now we're still talking about that. That's our goal, to be the best. Certainly last year's team would be hard to repeat. The only thing better than winning the Super Bowl is winning another one. That's what we're looking forward to."
Cornerback Chris Harris was just as confident. "We'll be ready," Harris said. "The guys we have, we know what it takes, we know what we need to do. We know what we have in our [meeting] room."
It's going to be a tough task to live up to what last season's defense accomplished. But if they're all healthy (and all signed to agreeable contracts), the Broncos should still have one of the top defenses in the league.
