The Denver Broncos use a lot of different blitz packages, and sometimes secondary members are the key.
The Denver Broncos are known for getting home with their blitzers, and a lot of that is about defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. The way Joseph uses his secondary is a big part of this, and Nick Kosmider of The Athletic did a revealing dive into how it all works.
Start with the volume. Per Kosmider, the Broncos are one of only two teams that had three defensive backs with at least 25 pass-rush snaps, according to TruMedia. Specifically, Ja’Quan McMillian has 37, Talanoa Hufanga is next with 36 and Brandon Jones has 25. The Broncos have gotten 7.5 snaps from their secondary so far this year, and Hufanga got his sack in Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Rams in one of Joseph’s exotic blitz calls.
As an aside, the other team with these kinds of numbers is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which makes sense given that their head coach, Todd Bowles, has a similar reputation.
The Broncos play the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday, and coach Kyle Shanahan knows what’s coming. He said that Joseph is one of the toughest defensive coordinators to go up against, because he dcan do anything at any time.
The list includes fronts that may or may not indicate certain coverages or pressures, and the Broncos also mix in their corners and safeties. Sometimes they come with their linebackers as well, so countering this is a constant guessing game.
It helps that the Broncos players know how to execute this. McMillian is a play-maker, and Hufanga tackles as well as any safety in the league. Jones is also a hard hitter who’s reliable in the back end, so there are a lot of choices when it comes to who to bring and when to do it.
The blitzes don’t always show up on highlight-reel plays, either. Joseph often uses them as part of the field position game to help the offense gain an advantage, and they’re even more effective in the red zone because of the condensed space.
Joseph credits the players, as he noted that not all the secondary players he’s had are great blitzers. It’s a unique form of aggression that means not overruning the quarterback to make a play, and it’s also about knowing the blocking schemes to get home faster.
The downside of all this is that the offense is struggling, so this kind of success is important. It will be an important part of Sunday’s game, and the Broncos will need to get home when they blitz.
