Broncos Expert: Theoretically, Denver currently possesses one of the NFL's finest secondaries

Take a look at this article by Kyle Newman from The Denver Post talking about some important news items this week. Kyle Newman recently published the article and I thought it was a great post for publishing here.

This offseason, the Broncos’ secondary has gone from a relative weakness to an obvious strength.

Thanks to four moves by GM George Paton, Denver’s secondary sets up to be one of the NFL’s best in 2021 after the unit ranked tied for 16th in net passing yards allowed in 2020 (237.9) and tied-23rd with just 10 interceptions.

At safety, Paton held on to the Broncos’ two pillars, Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson. Already one of the league’s top safety tandems, Simmons and Jackson will have a third season to grow together after Simmons signed a four-year, $61 million deal (making him the NFL’s highest-paid at the position) and Jackson came back on a one-year, $5 million contract.

Simmons, who led the team with five picks last year, is coming off consecutive elite seasons in which he earned second-team All-Pro in 2019 and a Pro Bowl nod in ’20. An underrated run defender, Simmons has been solid in coverage, hasn’t missed a defensive snap since 2017 and believes he still has his best football ahead of him.

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Jackson, meanwhile, has also been an ironman over the last two seasons by starting all but three games. The hard-hitter who plays much bigger than his 5-foot-10, 183-pound frame has three interceptions during that time and, for the most part, has been reliable in coverage.

But where the Broncos made the most improvement over the past couple of weeks is at cornerback, a position that’s been marked by instability during coach Vic Fangio’s tenure. Paton signed two of the top corners on the market, free agent Ronald Darby for three-years, $30 million and Kyle Fuller for one-year, $9.5 million after he was cut by Chicago in a cap-saving move.

With Simmons, Jackson, Darby and Fuller as the defensive backs in the base scheme, Bryce Callahan will move to nickel back in sub-packages. Callahan played well across 10 games last year before his season was ended by a foot injury, and a different foot injury cost him all of 2019. Second-year pro Michael Ojemudia (who went through baptism-by-fire as a rookie) will provide quality depth, as will Essang Bassey once he’s rehabbed from his ACL injury.

Now, it’s up to the unit to turn its potential on paper into an elite performance in 2021.

— Kyle Newman, The Denver Post

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