The undefeated Broncos have entered the bye week in the best position possible. They sit atop the AFC West with a commanding four game lead and are tied in the AFC with the Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots at 6-0.
The defense has dominated its opponents on multiple levels and several different big name players have grabbed the spotlight.
The offense continues to try and find a balance between their old and new members of the team.
Throughout it all some big performances come to mind but several players have quietly helped this team to their 6-0 record with consistent and impactful play each week.
Here’s a look at the three most underrated players through the first six games of the 2015-16 season.
This is not a newsflash by any means but the Broncos defense is stacked with talent. DeMarcus Ware, Von Miller, Chris Harris Jr., Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward have all made game-changing plays to help the Broncos get to 6-0. They are big names with big contracts and have earned them thus far. Brandon Marshall has been equally as good, if not better, in 2015.
He is once again leading the team in tackles with 48 total tackles, eight for a loss and has added two sacks, three quarterback hits, a forced fumble and two passes defended to his stats. He is also doing it with two screws in his foot.
After last year’s superb play some people may have expected Marshall to play well in 2015 but the injury he sustained late last season was a serious one. The Lis Franc injury to his foot was surgically repaired after the loss to the Indianapolis Colts in January and required an entire offseason and part of training camp to heal for this season. Marshall admits that it is still affecting him but you wouldn’t know it by watching him play.
“I know how I felt last year and or years past too how I felt after this foot injury. I know that I’m not quite where I was before as far as a body standpoint but I’m improving in other things to make up for it. I got experience and that helps tremendously.”
The experience he gained as a starter through last season and the 116 total tackles he amassed in the 15 games he played in has made him into an elite linebacker. Pro Football Focus (PFF) has validated what people have seen each Sunday from Marshall. He is the highest ranked inside linebacker in the entire NFL. His overall rating of 7.6 is 1.4 points above the next best backer and he has shown a wide range of attributes to fit Wade Phillips’ system. He has been exceptional against the run, is quick enough to go into coverage and has improved greatly as a pass-rusher.
“I just want to go out there and play and prove that I am one of the best in the game,” he said October 8.
Six weeks into the season he has done just that and he will only get better has the season continues.
Last week, Shaquil Barrett made his first start in the NFL and he lit up the stat line. He had nine combined tackles, three of those for a loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a recovery. He simply changed the game when he hit Josh McCown and it came at a time when Ware was unable to play. For many, that was the first time they noticed Barrett in orange and blue, but he has been turning heads for some time now.
“I first saw it last year when he first got here. Just sitting there talking to him, I was just trying to coach up some of the young guys. I was like, ‘Hey, this right here, this is unique. You look like a pass rusher right here.’ He just kept building and building. I was like man, he’s just natural at it,” Von Miller said Tuesday. “Its kind of like the exact same fairy tale story that you’ve got with Chris [Harris Jr.] and all these other free agent guys. They come in, they work, special teams, preseason and then boom, they’re the guy now.”
Barrett and fellow teammate Shane Ray excelled in the preseason and their opportunities to contribute in the regular season have grown. Now six weeks into the season, Barrett is certainly making a name for himself. Though six games, he has 3.5 sacks, five tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles on defense. He has also been superb on special teams, adding another forced fumble and leads the team in tackles with five. He has played so well that he has broken into the top-ten 3-4 outside linebackers on PFF, coming in at no. 10, ahead of names like Aldon Smith, Brian Orakpo and Tamba Hali.
Barrett was the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 but didn’t get drafted. He signed with the Broncos as a college free agent on May 16, 2014 and spent the majority of his rookie season on the practice squad. His increased playing time and bigger role has come as a shock to him but he has mentally prepared himself for the task at hand among such an elite group.
“I didn’t foresee this at all because there was pretty stiff competition coming into the season and I just got an opportunity and ran with it. I didn’t see it shaping out like this. All our guys, ones or twos, we all go out there ready to work and go out and practice hard every day. There is no big difference between the ones and twos. Everybody on this defense is a playmaker,” he said just days before his first NFL start.
It’s safe to say that he has proven himself to the coaching staff and now team’s will not overlook the “backup” on the edge of the elite Denver defense.
1. Matt Paradis
The Broncos offense has obviously been under immense scrutiny and rightfully so. They rank in the bottom third of about every offensive category. However, along the line they have quietly improved week-to-week. At the core, literally, is Matt Paradis. After spending the entire 2014 season on the practice squad he beat out veteran center Gino Gradkowski in training camp and hasn’t looked back since. While every position along the line has battled injuries, and most have shuffled personnel, Paradis has been solid.
On top of playing in every single snap this season, he has gotten markedly better each game. The Broncos have allowed 12 sacks through six games but none have been attributed to Paradis. In the first few games he was clearly having trouble accounting for blitzes up the middle but has improved in that aspect in recent weeks. According to PFF he has allowed eight quarterback hurries in the six contest, four coming in week two and only two total coming in the last three games.
In Cleveland the Broncos didn’t allow one sack and the pass protection was substantially better than previous weeks. Additionally, the running game got going against the Browns defense. Paradis health and performance has been huge for a line that has undergone big change from 2014. He currently is ranked 17th among NFL centers, per PFF and among that group only three others rank above him that were from the 2014 or 2015 draft class.
Head coach Gary Kubiak has been pleased with the line’s progress and has pledged several times to continue to commit to the running game. Last Sunday Paradis, right guard Louis Vasquez and a combination of lineman proved that they can block downfield. This September Kubiak explained what it takes to run block, whether it is from under center, in shotgun or the pistol formations.
“It comes as a team, regardless of whether you’re under center or in the gun. You’ve got to be physical running the football. I think it’s pretty obvious when you look around the National Football League. Running the ball out, to be honest, is a challenge at times. If that’s something you’re doing best, you’ve got to find a way to run it that way. Being physical is a state of mind. It’s an identity. It’s a commitment. It’s not something you talk about and go do. It’s something you work at all the time.”
It appears that Paradis, one of only two lineman to play every snap so far, has developed into an NFL starter and physical center. Most lineman enjoy quietly performing well and he certainly fits that profile.
The Broncos have time to relax, get healthy and savor their fortunate 6-0 start. To reach the promised land of Santa Clara and Super Bowl 50, more Broncos will have to quietly or boisterously contribute in big ways. November presents some of the toughest tests they will have all season. Marshall, Barrett and Paradis already appear ready for the task.
*All stats provided by the Denver Broncos Media Relations unless otherwise noted
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