Next on the list of veteran IDP winners and losers after the NFL Draft is the Denver Broncos! They have some players you want to get for your IDP teams! The Broncos also have some players you might want to move on from.
Denver Broncos
IDP Veteran Winners
Defensive Ends/Edge – Baron Browning and Nik Bonitto
The entire list of defensive ends/edge players on the roster of the Denver Broncos makes the winner side of the IDP winners and losers list. In particular, the two possible starting DEs are huge winners. The Broncos did not have a lot of picks in the 2023 NFL draft and did not use any on the defensive line. The two projected starting DEs are Baron Browning and Nik Bonitto. They are ready to pick up where Von Miller and Bradley Chubb left off. They plan on returning some notoriety to the pressure off of the edge for the Broncos.
Bonitto was drafted in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft out of Oklahoma. He comes with some nice upside according to the numbers of the three years he started for the Sooners. He posted 115 tackles (67 solo), 33 tackles for a loss, 19.5 sacks, 7 passes defended, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries.
Bonitto got his feet wet as a rookie
While he played in 15 games, Bonitto only got single-digit defensive snaps in three of those games and started just one game. He had just two games with more than 50% of the defensive snaps. He had seven games with less than 40% of the defensive snaps. In those very limited snaps, Bonitto did flash a little and show that he does indeed belong on an NFL field. He delivered 14 tackles (6 solo), 1 tackle for a loss, 3 QB hits, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.
The other side should be manned by Browning who was drafted in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft. As a rookie, he had a total of four defensive snaps in the first seven games of the season. Browning started nine of the final ten games of the season while not really coming off of the field. He had 95% of the defensive snaps in seven of those nine games. Browning did not play in Week 17. In those nine games, he posted 57 tackles (32 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 1 QB hit, and 2 passes defended.
2022 brought a new role for Browning
With the new coaching staff, came a new role for Browning. He was asked to move to the edge and start rushing the QB. Browning seemed to fit immediately in his new role. His defensive snaps increased after Bradley Chubb was traded to the Miami Dolphins after Week 8. Injuries took a bit of a toll on Browning also with a hip injury in Week 7 causing him to miss the next month. Then he hurt his back and missed Week 17. Browning played in 14 games and started eight of those games.
In his new role for 2022, Browning delivered 24 tackles (14 solo), 8 tackles for a loss, 12 QB hits, 5 sacks, 2 passes defended, 1 interception, and a fumble recovery.
The new coaching staff, for a second year in a row, seem very happy with the returning defensive line and will let loose the young guys.
IDP Veteran Losers
Linebacker – Josey Jewell
Josey Jewell was a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Broncos. He signed a two-year contract extension which will get him through this upcoming year. The Broncos, in the meantime, signed fellow linebacker Alex Singleton to a three-year contract which will keep him in Denver thru 2025. Then the Broncos drafted Drew Sanders out of Arkansas in the top of the third round in the 2023 NFL draft.
Jewell has been solid, but never spectacular. This is why he lands on the losers list of my IDP winners and losers. Relatively healthy in his first three years, Jewell started 28 of his first 47 games. He then tore his pectoral muscle in Week 2 of the 2021 season and missed the rest of the year. Jewell bounced back nicely to team with Singleton on a top NFL defense for 2022.
He suffered a calf strain prior to Week 1 and missed two games. He then sprained his patella tendon and missed two more games. In just 13 games, Jewell produced 128 tackles (70 solo), 7 tackles for a loss, 4 QB hits, 2.5 sacks, 4 passes defended, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries. When he is healthy, he plays 100% of the defensive snaps.
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The new tandem of Singleton and the rookie Sanders is set for debut in 2023
Singleton has shown he is a tackling monster with 164 tackles in 2022. Sanders did a position switch at Arkansas for his senior year and thrived. After playing QB in high school, Sanders decided to attend Alabama and play outside linebacker. He wanted to move inside, so he transferred to Arkansas, and his NFL story began. In his one year inside with the Razorbacks, Sanders posted 103 tackles (40 solo), 13.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 5 passes defended, 1 interception, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. It will not take him long to find a place on the field.
Defensive Backs – Caden Sterns and K’Waun Williams
Caden Sterns plays safety and was drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft. He showed great promise as a rookie while playing roughly 25% of the defensive snaps or less in all but two games. Those two games had Sterns play 100% of the defensive snaps and he produced 10 tackles (6 solo) and a pass defended. The 2022 season started well with three starts in his five games played and delivering 21 tackles and 2 interceptions. He then hurt his hip in Week 5 and missed the rest of the year.
K’Waun Williams was signed by the Broncos last year as a slot corner. He was decent and consistent in his play. Williams will turn 32 in July and the Broncos did not have a player to man that spot on their roster. I do not believe it will be long for these two guys on the loser side of my IDP winners and losers to get replaced by youth.
New blood drafted into the Broncos’ defensive backfield
In the third round of the 2023 draft, the Broncos selected Riley Moss out of Iowa. He is a 6′ 1″ 194 lb cornerback that will play outside and slot. He is primed and ready to compete for a spot on the field as the Broncos’ defense gets younger. The other contender for impactful play time this year is the Broncos’ sixth-round pick JL Skinner. Skinner should take no time to get on the field with Justin Simmons. He is a hard-hitting safety that flies all over the field. His final two years at Boise State delivered a whopping 157 tackles (102 solo), 7.5 tackles for a loss, 8 passes defended, 6 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries.
Thank you for checking out my 23′ Team Veteran IDP Winners and Losers article! You can read all of my articles on my IDP Guys author page. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @OldMan_FF and @IDPGuys (we have offense, too), and please consider becoming a subscriber!
