The Broncos elected to change coaches after finishing the 2021 season 7-10.
But the team’s defense under Vic Fangio was not the problem, as the club finished No. 3 in points allowed and No. 8 in yards allowed.
One place the club could improve is in sacks. Denver finished in the middle of the pack with 36 of them in 2021, with defensive end Shelby Harris leading the club with 6.0. The production out of their edge rushers left something to be desired, but part of that was trading Von Miller and Bradley Chubb missing just over half the season with an ankle injury that required surgery.
In an interview with the team’s website, General Manager George Paton noted how much he respected Chubb’s effort — he finished the season without recording a sack — despite his injury. But Paton also acknowledged that the club is likely to add to the position in the offseason.
“I really applaud Bradley for fighting through the injuries,” Paton said. “He had two surgeries on the foot. So was he at his best? No, but this guy battles. He’s a competitor. He brings a physical element to his game. I don’t think he quite had the legs until later in the year, but just the way he fought and worked, it wasn’t easy. It was a tough year for him but I thought he finished strong. I expect great things from him.
“But we’re going to add. You can’t have enough rushers. We need to get a mismatch-type rusher to really help our back end, but I do like how the group, especially after Von [Miller] left, how they stepped up and did some good things.”
The Broncos currently hold the No. 9 overall pick in the 2022 draft. While the club still needs to find a solution at quarterback, drafting an edge rusher at that spot is not out of the question.