Broncos D-line asking a lot of Shelby Harris, Mike Purcell and Dre’Mont Jones
Amid the high expectations for the Broncos’ defense, there’s one huge variable: the depth of the defensive line.
Up front, general manager George Paton is gambling on the starting trio of Shelby Harris, Mike Purcell and Dre’Mont Jones having healthy and productive seasons. But, the unit’s reserves are largely unproven.
Harris (signed to a three-year, $27 million contract in the offseason), Purcell (sidelined by a foot fracture for most of 2020 after signing a three-year, $14.8 million deal) and Jones (promoted to a starting role this year) will carry most the load for a unit hampered by injuries and COVID issues in 2020.
Purcell believes the talent on the defensive line is being overlooked.
“We’ve got some promising young players, and we’ve got some older (backups) who can contribute too,” Purcell said. “A lot of us have been under the radar, we’ve had unlikely success, we’ve taken long roads (to the NFL). So we’re not worried about (those) who say we don’t have players behind us (starters) — I’ll let the play do the talking for us on that one.”
DeShawn Williams, a member of the Broncos’ practice squad for the first couple of weeks last year before replacing the injured Purcell, is one of two primary backups at nose tackle. He was outstanding in preseason action, including a fumble recovery and interception in a win at Seattle. Purcell’s other backup is newcomer Shamar Stephen, an eighth-year pro who has appeared in 98 games.
Rookie Marquiss Spencer, a seventh-round pick, and second-year pros McTelvin Agim and Jonathan Harris provide additional depth at end/nose, but account for almost no experience.
Even with those relatively thin resumes, Paton echoed Purcell’s optimism, noting the Broncos “have great competition within the D-line.” And defensive coordinator Ed Donatell refuted the narrative of the line being the weak link in his unit.
“The more years they spend in our system, they get better,” Donatell said. “Everybody is getting better at playing the run, then it goes to the pass. That group is coming along very nicely. We’re going to have nice depth.”
While expectations are high for Harris and Purcell — both of whom bootstrapped their ways to big paydays — within the Denver locker room, the expectations for Jones are sky high.
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post
Shelby Harris (96) laughs as he jokes with Mike Purcell (98) of the Denver Broncos during training camp on Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021.
All-Pro linebacker Von Miller said Jones “has the athletic ability to be one of the greatest (pass-rushers)” in the league while fellow outside linebacker Bradley Chubb also lauded Jones, saying that “in his second year (in 2020), you already saw a different intensity in his eyes.”
“I don’t know how we stole that guy — he should have been a first-round pick,” Miller said. “He definitely has all the talent, all the fire and the right mindset.”
If Jones does take the leap the Broncos are anticipating, and Harris and Purcell can be on the field more than the 17 combined games they played in 2020, Denver’s defensive metrics are likely to improve. The Broncos were ninth last year with 42 sacks, but ranked 25th against the run by allowing 130 yards per game.
“If we stay healthy, we’ll be a force to be reckoned with,” Purcell said.
