Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - INSTANT IMPACT: Why Denver Broncos Rookie DL Tyler Onyedim Could Play Right Away for Vance Joseph

Starting point is 00:00:00 When it comes to the Denver Broncos rookie draft class, some of the players on the defensive side of the ball might have the best chance to play a little bit early on. You are locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast. Part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's up? Broncos Country. I'm Cody Roark, joined as always by Sarah Benjern on today's episode on the show. We're going to be taking a look at the vision for the Broncos defensive rookie draft picks from this weekend's 2026 NFL draft.

Starting point is 00:00:34 We'll discuss maybe the Broncos liking their linebacker plan more so than people thought. We'll also go through and tell you why safety Miles Scott could be a potential developmental gem on hand here for this second year. We're going to kick things off by talking about why Tyler O'Neadam might have the best chance to play right away and have an instant impact out of everybody defensively here for your Broncos. Make sure you grab yourself a cup of coffee Broncos country as we go through here, Sarah, and recap the NFL draft. a lot of exciting things coming throughout the next couple of weeks here as the Broncos get ready for rookie minicamp on Mother's Day weekend. Sarah, let's dive into Tyler. Own yet him. Now, obviously, this is the time of the year where after the Broncos make a selection or any team for that matter does,

Starting point is 00:01:16 everyone tries to figure out how to pronounce their names correctly. The official pronunciation guide for Tyler is, it's spelled O-N-Y-E-D-I-M, but it's own, own the trenches, Y-E-M-O-N-E-D-M. He's got the best chance to have an instant impact right away on the Broncos defense. line rotation. And that is something that Sean Peyton even said after they drafted him. Yeah, he's the John Franklin Myers replacement, at least in terms of

Starting point is 00:01:40 bodies. And Sean Payton said that when asked directly, could he replace the role that JFM played for the Broncos? He said, yes, when you draft somebody as high as they drafted Tyler Ognettam, that is part of the vision. So they believe that he can do that. I think he can do that

Starting point is 00:01:56 after watching a number of his games. Cody, over the weekend after the draft. It's so much fun to kind of do deep dives on guys that, you know, we try to do an expansive overview of players the Broncos could consider leading up to the draft, but it's so much fun to be able to kind of do deep dives on the guys that they actually pick and start to see through their lens. Hey, what makes this guy a great fit? Why could he fit that John Franklin Myers role? I'll tell you the first things that stood out to me, Cody, is the length and strength. I think those are two things that stand out tremendously when you watch

Starting point is 00:02:27 Tyler O'Neum play in really his breakout season at Texas A&M, where they're really. running a lot of the same stuff that you see the Broncos do with their defensive linemen, where I know that we heard a number of people talk in the organization about, hey, Vance Joseph's defense, there's going to be the game, you know, between the defensive line. I'm not a defensive lineman, Cody, but I know what he's talking about, right? I know exactly what he's talking about. I can see it in my head, but I love the way that this guy sets up past rush moves. I love the way that he attacks.

Starting point is 00:02:57 I don't know how much Peyton Manning likes this pick, Cody, because Tyler Ognettum put a pretty big hit on Arch Manning last year when they played against Texas. So I love this selection in terms of the process. And I think he fits what Vance Joseph's defense wants to do perfectly in terms of setting up other rushers, but also taking advantage of those game concepts himself. That's exactly what it is too, right? And here's the thing about Oneedum is that, you know, he's still, yeah, his areas of his game that he can develop in.

Starting point is 00:03:26 But his first step and his get off, they like him as an explosive player too, right? his first step to be able to move in with how the Broncos shares we've seen with Zach Allen and even with JFM, how they loop and gain with their defensive ends inside. They'll send their defensive tackles. They'll crash them outside. All of this stuff benefits Tyler O'Neum to have an instant impact right away. And that's something that we caught up with Broncos assistant GM Reid Burckhardt after the draft had concluded.

Starting point is 00:03:52 Here's exactly what he had to say about Tyler O'Neum and the thought process for Denver when drafting him specifically. Well, George and and Sean hit on it yesterday last night. the 3-3 scheme in Iowa State's a little bit different, and then he kind of plays in a different scheme that fits ours a little bit, and there's always going to be differences, but he felt more comfortable seeing the evidence that he was going to play in a more scheme similar to ours, and he had a really good year, and his skill set, I think, is as a three-down player, and I think they mentioned it yesterday, but last night, but his ability to strike and use his hands,

Starting point is 00:04:31 He's got 34 plus inch arms. He's got link that we covet. And then his ability is a pass rusher too. When you're talking three technique, you want a guy that can get on the edge and we can loop in game and VJ does a ton of that stuff. And so he kind of fit the total package what we're looking for inside.

Starting point is 00:04:48 He's going to help all the different pass rushers in Denver, Cody, with that because when you have 34-inch arms, 34-and-a-quarter-inch or whatever it is for him, I mean, you're able to get your hands on those offensive guards a lot quicker. That's part of the reason why guards transition to the inside. If they play tackle at the college level, a lot of times guys transition to the interior because of their length, right? And so when you can match up a defensive tackle that has 34 inch arms against a guard that has 32 inch, it gives you that even if it's a fraction of an advantage, Cody, it does give you

Starting point is 00:05:19 an advantage to get your hands on first. And then you can run those loops, those games, the stunts. You can do all those sorts of things to have your longer interior pass rushers set up your guys off the edge or the blitzers who come up the double double a gap blitzes, you know, from the linebackers. The Broncos love to give those looks. So I think that this guy's going to be able to play immediately with so much experience at the college level between Iowa State, Texas A&M, and the skill set, the quickness off the ball, the upper body strength and those long arms. They all play well in tandem for him to not only help in the past rush department, but also against the run. I mean, he's a stout defender at the line of scrimmage.

Starting point is 00:05:59 this is just an overall good fit for what the Broncos are losing, even if he's not going to come in and provide seven and a half sacks and be top 25 in quarterback pressures right away. Man, imagine if he did, though. Imagine if he came in and had like seven sacks as a rookie. Everyone would be like, wow. Like, you know, there are a lot of people that are poo-pooing on the pick just because it wasn't the sexy, flashy name that they were looking for at the position that they

Starting point is 00:06:22 wanted on their own mock draft boards there. But, like Denver's process here, and I like it. This is a guy, as you mentioned, we think is going to play. right away. And it's not just going to be solely placed on the responsibility of his shoulders. This is where Savian Jones, he and he and Savion can rotate defensively. And here's the thing, too, it's not just about that spot that you lost after JFM left in free agency and Denver didn't want to bring him back or pay him the money that he was going to command. It's, hey, when Zach Allen comes off the field, do you have the adequate depth? Do you have the guys that

Starting point is 00:06:53 can do their job that can go out there and still make the play? Even when Zach Allen's off the field for two snaps, you know that, hey, you're not getting a drop off in terms of the high effort, the intensity there. And I think that's where you're going to see that supplemented with guys like Inyoma Uazareke from time to time, even though I don't think the pass rush element is necessarily a strength of his. I think he's more of a guy who can command double teams, eat up the gap and not get moved back, and those other guys can go to work and eat. I think Sebian Jones. I think Tyler O'Neum, both of these guys can get after the quarterback. And I think they will play well with each other.

Starting point is 00:07:27 I do think in terms of the top three at defense events specifically, it's going to be Zach Allen, O'Neatham, and Sabian Jones as those main guys. That's my prediction here. And obviously we've got to see it translate. We've got to see that take steps on the actual football field when the Broncos get to Trenticamp. When they actually play in preseason games, that's where we see it. We can theorize it on paper right now.

Starting point is 00:07:47 And that's what we can do. And we can be excited about that. I think he's going to have a chance to go out there and have a big impact right away. And I think that we're going to see it pretty early. I do too. I think that this defensive line rotation is exactly that. They want it to be a rotation. They don't want necessarily Zach Allen out there playing a thousand snaps like he did a

Starting point is 00:08:06 couple of seasons ago. They don't want DJ Jones and Malcolm Roach playing, you know, 700 plus snaps. I think you want to keep these guys fresh. You want to bring waves of pass rush. And most important over all of it is you want to have, you know, five or six guys that you really trust to throw out there. That's something that I think is an. underrated element of what the Broncos had that was enviable for everybody else last year is six

Starting point is 00:08:29 guys that they trusted to go out there and produce at a high level. And that that extends, you know, more players when you talk about the edge guys. So six or six or seven, Cody's doing the thing and those that are not watching the show. But look, I think that when you have, okay, Sabian Jones, his development, you got another third round pick in the chamber kind of waiting for his opportunity. And now you add Tyler Oenietam to the mix. I mean, I mean, that's, that's two guys that you've now invested pretty highly in in the NFL draft on top of the guys that you've invested in through NFL free agency. So it's, it's really great to see this coming together for the Broncos.

Starting point is 00:09:06 It doesn't have to be all first round picks out there. It doesn't have to be all, you know, top 50 selections. The Broncos have made it work with nobody, I think. I don't think anybody on their defensive line was picked in the top 50. As a matter of fact, I think Zach Allen was 65th and now own yet him is 66. He's almost contending for the highest draft pitch. on the entire unit right now. So I like the situation they have

Starting point is 00:09:28 and the fate that they can put in these young guys while also being able to lean on the Zach Allen's, the Malcolm Roaches, the, you know, DJ Jones, and even Imo O'Wazerike to a degree. Well, and it's also the coaching. It's the belief that Jamar Kane, they really like what he's been able to do in terms of getting his hands on players in the scheme

Starting point is 00:09:47 in the trenches specifically in developing those guys. Obviously, we've talked a lot about BT Jordan, who's now with the Cowboys. How does that loss maybe impact things? I don't know if it changes much, but I think it is important to maybe keep an eye on here as the Broncos continue to go throughout the offseason here. Broncos Country, let us know your thoughts on Tyler.

Starting point is 00:10:03 O'Neatham. Do you think he'll play right away as a rookie? We're excited to hear what you have to think about that. But coming up next, Sarah and I are going to tell you why Miles Scott could be the perfect developmental gem here for the Broncos at the safety position and could have an impact in the next couple of years. Broncos Country, the NFL draft has come and gone.

Starting point is 00:10:22 and today's episode is sponsored by our friends over there at Rujid, where preparation meets opportunity. Every decision matters. It's all about being ready when your moment comes. That same mindset it applies off the field, too, and that's where Ruggiat comes in. Ruggia offers treatments designed to help you feel ready and confident when it matters most. Their top option, Ruggiat ready, is a mint that dissolves under your tongue with clinically proven ingredients. It works quickly, often at about 15 minutes and can last up to 36 hours. So be ready when you are on the clock. And they also offer go long, designed to help with both performance.

Starting point is 00:10:52 performance and control. It's all about showing up at your best whenever your moment is. Head to rugia.com slash locked on NFL and get 15% off your first ED treatment. That's RUGIET.com slash locked on NFL for 15% off Ruggiat performance medicine for men. Miles Scott gives the Denver Broncos yet another developmental piece for the secondary and he's got a lot of intriguing traits. And you know what we heard from the Broncos, what they like about him. I think you'll get even more excited about the pick after. you hear what Reed Burkhart had to say as well. But Broncos Country, we appreciate you so much for rocking with Lockdown Broncos every single

Starting point is 00:11:29 day. And shout out to all of you who have been signing up for the Every Day or Club lately. It just means the world to Cody and I that you would support the show in that way. If you haven't already done so, we want to invite you to do that. Check out Lockdownbroncos. com or the link in the show notes. Lots of bonus content. Plenty of audio from NFL draft picks.

Starting point is 00:11:48 Obviously, Reed Burkhart as well, film reviews, ad-free version of the show. So much good stuff in there for you, Broncos country. And once again, we just appreciate you for considering that today. And Cody, let's talk about Miles Scott because I think in the, you know, the excitement of all that went down at the end of the draft with the last two picks, this pick kind of gets, you know, a little bit of, I don't know, push to the side. Isn't necessarily the right word, but you have the last two picks in the draft, including Mr. Irrelevant.

Starting point is 00:12:15 Those are going to draw a lot of attention. So picks before that, Miles Scott out of Illinois, a converted wide receiver. plenty of ball skills. I think you and I were both really intrigued by this selection when the Broncos made it. It was playing with Pat Bryan at the wide receiver position. And then all of a sudden just clicks for him at safety when they change his positions. I think this is a great replacement in a way for PJ Locke in where the Broncos are at in terms of needing a developmental safety. And I think Miles Scott could, I mean, the seventh rounders, Cody, I think they're going to make this team.

Starting point is 00:12:51 I mean, they have a really good pass. to do it. And I'm curious to see how maybe the outlook of this safety room after this season could influence that. I mean, as we've talked about going into the draft, Brandon Jones on the last year of his deal has not received an extension yet. JL. Skinner, Devin Keith, Tyson Anderson, all set to be free. And so four players at this position are going to be free agents. It's two years from now. Talano Hu Fonga is going to be a free agent. So to not add a safety, I think it would have been problematic. Now, here's the thing with Miles Scott. And as you learn more about these players. Like, here's the thing. I don't think anybody in the in the mock draft process

Starting point is 00:13:23 had Miles Scott going to Denver. I don't think anybody thought about that. And it goes to show that people need to have patience when it comes to, hey, a pick is made. Who is this guy? What does he bring to the table? That's where a lot of people have to go and do their own research here. And I've got my hands on the film of all of these rookie prospects, the L 22. So every dayers can expect some film breakdowns coming up here shortly in the next couple of weeks. It's 10.com. takes a lot of time to get them together. Miles Scott, what I like about him is that he got thrust into a hard position of switching, right? They asked him in the spring after his second season at Illinois, hey, I want to try you out at the safety position, at defensive back. And at first,

Starting point is 00:14:06 he was saying, okay, I'll try it. And then the coach said, if you don't like it, if you don't think it's a good fit, at the end of the spring, we'll put you back at wide receiver. He ended up sticking with it. And he said it was one of the hardest things ever because he's never played DB before. And when you have that, when you're playing a wide receiver and you've never played DB, you have a lot to learn. But the ball tracking traits are obviously a former high school baseball player. It's one thing that Sean Payton highlighted about him. Miles has pretty good speed and he's got the ability to come up and be a good tackler. I'd say from year one and playing as a defensive back to year three, his improvement as a tackler grew substantially.

Starting point is 00:14:42 Over 131 solo tackles, sir. But it stands out when you actually watch the tape, when you watch his highlights, to Broncos country. If you can't get your hands on the game tape, go watch his highlights. The dude knows where the football is. And being a former wide receiver, understanding where he's at,

Starting point is 00:14:57 in alignment to the receiver, knowing how receivers route splits work. That knowledge right there gives him an advantage as a defensive back. And man, he's one of those players that has grown substantially at that position. To the point, the Broncos say, hey, we want to take this player. He may not play. It may be a red shirt year for him as a rookie.

Starting point is 00:15:15 But this is a guy in a year, two years from now, Sarah. He could end up surprising some people. Now, not to say like, hey, hey, we're hyping this guy up. I mean, absolutely. We're telling Broncos country what the plan could be. This is something we have to watch unfold here. Obviously, as training camp and preseason and the year goes on. Cody, I think it might be fair to say based on the fact that, you know,

Starting point is 00:15:35 J.L. Skinner hasn't played a ton at the safety position. Devin Key, obviously, an all pro on special teams, hasn't played a ton at safety. I wonder. I mean, is Miles Scott maybe the one guy at the state? Tyson Anderson, also was signed to play special teams. Maybe Miles Scott is the one player right now at that position behind the starters who maybe projects the best as a future starter.

Starting point is 00:15:57 And I know that, you know, okay, he's a seventh round pick, right? But the Broncos don't just, hey, take a seventh round flyer for no good reason, right? I mean, you can go back to George Payton's first draft with the team, the Jonathan Cooper pick. I mean, that was an intentional pick for, hey, this guy could play. He could contribute. He could be something down the line. Remember the Alex Forsyth pick as well.

Starting point is 00:16:19 He wasn't taken with, well, he's just, he's not even going to make the team. He's barely going to make the practice. They felt like he had an opportunity to be a starting center as of his second season in the NFL. And he has started for the team. There's so many other examples in the later rounds of the Broncos putting faith in their guys. I just think there's so much more intentional about the seventh rounders. And so it's not that I'm going to sit here and say, oh, yeah, he's going to take over for Brendan Jones in 2027, although maybe out of the guys that,

Starting point is 00:16:46 are currently on the team, he might have the best shot at doing exactly that. Yeah, yeah, and you make a great point, too. And specifically, like Tyson Anderson hasn't played many snaps defensively. I think last year was his first real opportunity since coming in the NFL to get snaps defensively. And fortunately, he was part of one of the worst defenses in the national football league. So what is there to really evaluate? How do you evaluate that?

Starting point is 00:17:08 How does Doug Belk coming in, or Robert Livingston coming in as a defensive passing game corner? How does that maybe influence a new pair of eyes on these guys? Devin Key, I think, Sarah, is one of those guys that probably has the best chance to be a starter at some point for you. Because he has played probably more, he's played more defense than J.L. Skinner has, which has been a little bit of a bigger surprise. And then I think Miles Scott will probably have a better chance to play defense alongside Devin Key more so than anybody else. Whereas I think J.L. and Tyson are viewed a special teams guys. And I think we have seen the safety position in the last couple of years, Sarah.

Starting point is 00:17:43 Some guys dealing with injuries, obviously, Talano, Hufonga never missed. the game, but there were times he came out for a play or a series or two because he got banged up. Brandon Jones suffered the peck injury, obviously a little bit late last season. They missed him and PJ was banged up a little bit from time to time. So it is proven that you need to have guys at this position. And real quick, when talking about player development and this is a draft class approach, Sarah, George Payton is Sean Payton. This is what I've been reiterating because there are a lot of Broncos fans that aren't happy

Starting point is 00:18:11 with this draft class. I don't understand. I like the picks. I think they got some really good value guys. We just have to wait and see. But George and Sean told all of us, flat out, this draft was not about getting a day one starter. It was about getting guys who could potentially start for you down the line. So here's what Reed Burkart, Bronco's assistant GM, had said about player development.

Starting point is 00:18:30 The fact that they have roster continuity here gives them a little more landing room to develop these guys with patience. Yeah, I think you do feel that way because you don't have to force, all right, this guy needs to come in and make a huge impact for us. week one, you know, and now they've got to make the team and they've got to do all the things to put themselves in that conversation. But we don't feel that we have to expedite someone's progress in order to fill in a hole, if that makes sense. And that's why I think that, okay, so hear me out here, because we came into the draft talking about the fact that, you know, it's going to be tough for rookies to crack this team, right? It's not just that they might not

Starting point is 00:19:14 start year one, but it's like, hey, it's going to be tough. When you bring back 71 guys that were on the team last year, it's going to be tough to crack the roster. Here's what I think based on what he said and based on the strategy the Broncos took is that they are going to invest roster spots in prospects who can sit on the game day inactive most of the year. And that's okay. Like there's nothing there's nothing wrong with that because they're going to have a vision for playing in year two. even if they're seventh round draft picks, I think that that is such a, Sean Peyton and George Payton care about every single dart that's thrown.

Starting point is 00:19:53 I think in a way, they almost want those guys to make the team, not over the higher draft picks, but like how many times has Sean Peyton told the Pierre Thomas story from when he was with the Saints? Like he loves so many. LA stories. He loves the Pierre Thomas stories.

Starting point is 00:20:09 He loves those types of things because what does it mean? It means that, shoot, it's so much harder for me to pull an arrow out of the quiver and fire it 100 yards away and hit a target. I think they take pride in doing that. And so I'm not, once again, not trying to overhype a seventh round draft pick, but I do think based on what Reid Burkhart said, based on what George Payton has said, invest those roster spots.

Starting point is 00:20:34 You've got your top, whatever, 40, 45, whatever it might be, invest a few roster spots in guys who you have no intention of throwing them out on the field. And that's okay. Like you don't have to. You don't have to force them to play. They don't have to be something that they're not. They don't have to have pressure that is unnecessary. They can be on the team.

Starting point is 00:20:54 They can enjoy the, you know, ride the coattails of success, develop on the practice field, learn from the veterans and be ready to play and give them that vision. Say next year, you're going to play and tell that to my, that's what I would do. If I was Miles Scott's coach, I'd say, you're playing next year. You might contribute this year, but you're playing next year. So you need to be ready when that time comes. And that's why the coaching system is so important and the continuity on that staff, the ability to develop players and get them adequate reps in practice on the scout team,

Starting point is 00:21:23 even for that matter. That's so important here. And that's where Denver has kind of thrived in their player development where they talk about. That's the reason why we've won games is because of our depth. It's because they have guys who know the system. And so getting these guys up to speed is going to be very, very important here. But Broncos country coming up next, we're going to talk about Red Murdoch, the Broncos selection at linebacker in the 2026 NFL draft.

Starting point is 00:21:44 The Broncos, they like their planet linebacker. And there's a reason they didn't go with that position a little bit earlier. Coming into this season, the Broncos, they like their planet inside linebacker featuring Alex Singleton and Justin Sternad as the potential starters while they continue to get Jonah Ellis up to speed as he makes the position switch from edge rusher to off ball linebacker. And now the ideal focus going into the summer for them is developing these guys on the back end. this position and there's a chance that this linebacker room behind Singleton, Ellis, and Sternad, it could look different than what we saw last year for Denver and it could even be better here. We'll go through that here on today's show. I want to say thanks to all the

Starting point is 00:22:25 everydayers out there in Brockos country. Once again, thanks for making us your first listen. We appreciate you so much for rocking with this. We got you covered every single day all year long. Sir, you know, obviously Red Murdoch, Mr. Irrelevant. He was the Broncos loan selection in the NFL draft at the linebacker position. And there were a handful of different. guys that everybody in their mock drafts wanted. And maybe there was a possibility the Broncos wanted Anthony Hill Jr. Before the Tennessee Titans jumped over them. I think that's stuff that we can speculate on.

Starting point is 00:22:54 Maybe there's some value and some credence to that. But ultimately, the Broncos approached this draft as we found out after it concluded, they approached this draft with the mindset that we like our planet inside linebacker to the point that, you know, yes, if we could add a really great player to it, we would like to do that. but we're not going to jump up or reach or try to go out there and do something that would be a little more detrimental in terms of capital here. First off, let's hear from Reid Burkart. I'm curious for your thoughts.

Starting point is 00:23:21 I want he has to say here because this is what he had to say about them not targeting linebacker earlier. Well, we feel really good about Alex and Justin. And so it wasn't a got to have it. You know, we're always in the mindset of best available. And there was a handful of those players that were really good players that would have fit that mold. And so it wasn't a situation where we felt like, oh, you got to go get an IB, you know, because of Alex and because of Justin. And so if we were able to take one of those guys, great, but it wasn't something that we were going to force. And we know that he's not blowing smoke because, like, the Broncos could have traded up from pick 62 and just a couple of spots.

Starting point is 00:24:03 Like Anthony Hill went 60th overall. You're telling me the Broncos couldn't have jumped up to 59 or to 58. I mean, it would have cost them nearly nothing to do that. And so we might have regret over that at some point. We might have buyer's remorse or, you know, the inability to, I guess, whatever, the same thing that we kind of had last year where we were all wanting like Trayvion Henderson or a mecca egg buca or those other guys, right? But I don't think that the Broncos are lying about, well, we just didn't feel like we

Starting point is 00:24:32 had to have those guys. And fans could disagree with that. I mean, Alex Singleton and Justininad split the fan base. like almost nobody else on this team, Cody prior to, I guess Bo Nick's proving everybody, you know, that he's,

Starting point is 00:24:45 he's the man. So now it's shifted to those guys where it's like, hey, every conversation that you have about Justin and Alex, it revolves around whether or not somebody loves them or hates them. And I think that obviously they bring a lot to the table, plenty enough to the point that the Broncos feel like, this isn't the only draft class that can address that position.

Starting point is 00:25:03 Plus, we're getting guys two rounds later than we otherwise would have because I had read Murdoch in the fifth of, my final mock draft at predominantly orange. Tori and York, who was signed as an undrafted free agent, Cody, outstanding pickup. A year ago at this time, Trevor Sycambe, one of the most respected NFL draft analysts out there, thought he could be the number one linebacker in the entire class. So things change over the course of a year, but shoot, man, I mean, the Broncos got a couple of guys,

Starting point is 00:25:30 a couple of absolute dogs. And I think that there is reason to like this plan. Like Red Murdoch is going to come in, like you watch this guy play. second team all-American, okay? 17 forced fumbles at Buffalo. The ball, the production in attacking the football, the heat-seeking missile style, he looks like a throwback linebacker at the position. And that physicality, that is infectious.

Starting point is 00:25:56 I can't wait to see him play in the preseason. I know that, you know, some of these rookies are drinking through a fire hose when it comes to scheme, coverage, all these sorts of things. But I don't think Reed Burkart is blowing smoke up everybody. You know what by saying, we don't feel like it was a got-a-have-it situation because they could have traded up three or four spots and gotten Anthony Hill.

Starting point is 00:26:16 And once again, having Alex and Justin, if they really view Jonah Ellis as a player that could become a transformative player there at some point, it gives Jonah time to develop without there being pressure on him saying, hey, you got to go be a studded off-ball linebacker right away. I think the arrival of Red Murdoch here, and obviously Tori and York's going to factor in this conversation.

Starting point is 00:26:37 We did a bonus episode on Red Murdoch. Murdoch yesterday. So make sure if you miss that, go check it out here, Lockdown Broncos. But it puts Carine Reed, Lavelle Bailey, and Jordan Turner on notice. Now, I think Jordan Turner is going to be the one guy that's probably going to have a fighter's chance here to continue to make some noise. I really like him as a player. But I think that these guys coming in, I really do think it puts Lavelle on notice. And here's the thing, Lavelle is a guy that we've been coveting for and saying, hey, like, get this guy in the field, get him some opportunities, but it just never translated into anything in the

Starting point is 00:27:08 regular season. always passed up over other guys. Corrine Reed, you know, was last year's kind of flash in the, you know, flash a little bit. I might be able to say flash in the pan a little bit in the preseason he stood out, but he played special teams primarily. And then we didn't see too much of him. He was never really considered for that inside linebacker rotation, despite the injuries that Denver was dealing with the Drake Greenlaw, was Singleton having the surgery.

Starting point is 00:27:31 They did what Justin Sternat, having a foot injury after the New York Giants game, and never materialized into any of those other guys stepping in and playing. and Jordan Turner probably got a little bit more run than anybody else did in terms of special teams for Denver last season. So I think that Red Murdoch coming in is going to elevate the level of competition. And if I had to predict it today, what I think the roster, the training camp definitely, I think there will be some changes before training camp happens. I think it'll be Alex, Justin, Jonah, Red Murdoch, Jordan Turner, and Thurton, and Therine York as the main guys that are going to get those opportunities.

Starting point is 00:28:08 And Lavell and Corrine Reed are probably going to be trying to fight for a spot at this point here. Which I think is good for everybody, right? Because you want to bring in these young, hungry guys who, okay, yeah, last year. Easy there, Justin Outen. Geez. Easy there. Hey, young. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:28:26 That's a great poll right there. That's a great poll. But you do want those guys who, okay, last year, you were the guy that we, invested, you know, a couple hundred thousand in the undrafted free agency frenzy, right? And you were the guy who made the 53 man roster. You continued our rich tradition. Well, the NFL is a lot of what have you done for me lately. So now you got to show something.

Starting point is 00:28:50 So Karen A. Reed, Jordan Turner, Lavelle Bailey, it can bring out the best in those guys. I want to do maybe a show on this at some point, Cody, where we talk through with the listeners, hey, who could be this year's version of like J-Quan Macmillan last year, right? because all the talk in last year's offseason was, well, Jayquan's going to get replaced by Jada Baron. He's a first round pick. Then he wasn't. Then he played at a Pro Bowl, all pro level from the slot.

Starting point is 00:29:16 And so who could be this year's version of that with rookies coming in to challenge, rookies coming in who it seems like, man, they're just going to easily take up this player's roster spot. They're going to take up this guy's role as a backup or on special teams. Could be very, very interesting for the Broncos perspective to say, okay, there's a lot of guys getting written off after the draft. A lot of new blood coming in. Everybody's excited about it.

Starting point is 00:29:39 But who are those guys that, hey, the ink is still drying on their scouting report from last year? And we can maybe get the most out of them by bringing in these players for competition. And that's what it's all about every year. It's trying to upgrade your roster. It's elevating competition to make your depth better. At times you're going to be in situations where you're trying to compete for starting jobs for certain guys, right? Denver's roster with where it's at right now, the starting positions are filled.

Starting point is 00:30:06 There's not really anything that's open right now, which that's exciting. It's rare for teams to be put in that situation. But at the same time, when you have that, there is pressure to continue to improve, right? And if the team can find that advantage, let's say one guy just emerges out of nowhere in training camp in the preseason and they say, you know what, this might make our decision here a little bit easier. There may be players, veteran guys that they're on the fence about saying, you know, we like this guy, but is this where we're at?

Starting point is 00:30:32 Younger guys, the NFL is always looking to go younger. And that's the unfortunate, brutal nature of the business. But where Denver is at right now, it truly is a system in the last two years where guys have developed. I mean, Sarah, we're two years removed from the fact that before the season, the Broncos had the worst roster in the NFL, according to national punits. They're going to be the number one favorite for the number one overall pick. And that team surprised a lot of people. A lot of young guys came out of nowhere.

Starting point is 00:30:58 And I think that right there, the Broncos have a little bit of a gold mine here. with their roster development. And that's where I think the selling point is for undrafted guys to come to Denver and have a chance. They sell the tradition of that, something that Sean Payton said after his press conference. I'm excited. I think the linebacker plan right now for Denver, look, I think Singleton and Sternat. I think they're good. I think that'll be fine.

Starting point is 00:31:19 I'm excited about Justin probably a little bit more so here defensively. But there is a chance for one of these young guys to develop for a year, year and a half, and then eventually jump up to be a starter next to Justin or to Jonah Ellis in the next two to three years. That could very well be the plan here for the Broncos. And we're all here and we're excited to see it. So Broncos country, let us know your thoughts here on what you heard from Reed Burkart. Your thoughts on what he had said about the Broncos planet linebacker in terms of them not being in a position to. We got to have it.

Starting point is 00:31:47 And they like the patience. They like the developmental process. Let's know your thoughts here on today's episode of the show here. But coming up on tomorrow's episode of the show, Sarah and myself, we're going to take a look at some of the key undrafted rookie free agent signings by the Denver Broncos, which players might have the best chance to emerge is that next undrafted guy that could have that Jake Juan Macmillan type of story. We'll take a look at a couple of key prospects, including Devin Key's brother, Dane, Tyne, York, linebacker out of Texas A&M, and we're always going to look at the offensive trenches. We'll get to that on tomorrow's episode of the show.

Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - INSTANT IMPACT: Why Denver Broncos Rookie DL Tyler Onyedim Could Play Right Away for Vance Joseph

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.