Does Denver's defense need to improve?

There’s not much more we could’ve asked from the Denver Broncos last season. Well, maybe a Super Bowl victory would’ve been nice, but nevertheless, the Broncos were undeniably an all-out powerhouse for at least 80 percent of the season. The key to the victories, of course, was Peyton Manning. This team went from praying for last minute wins to entering games with a “You can’t beat me!” attitude. Although this season was unexpectedly cut short, the value of Manning surely has not
been presented.

Having coming off his recent neck surgery, Manning nearly had career number, landing himself as a runner-up MVP and the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. The skepticism was great, but Manning clearly defied the odds. Now, getting stronger, and obviously more in depth with the offensive line and working receiver group, the sky is truly the limit.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. As great as the situation may be, and Las Vegas picking Denver to win it all next year certainly doesn’t help the mantra, there is still room for improvement, since they did lose their only playoff game last year. The draft will be a pivotal time for the Broncos as they not only need to assess new available talent, but see who’s who on their current roster.

On the defensive side of the ball, where the most improvement is needed, expect the Broncos to focus on crucial defensive positions during early rounds of the draft.  Last season, the pass rush was great, but it was clearly from the outside. Linebacker Von Miller and defensive end Elvis Dumerville charged Coach Jack Del Rio’s pass rush scheme to combine for 18.5 sacks, that helped land Miller the Defensive MVP award.

But was this rush enough? While rookie Derek Wolfe played great in his first season, gaining more and more playing time as the season continued, the interior pass rush was often missing. Veteran Kevin Vickerson was certainly effective against the run, but against the pass, was a completely different story.

The Broncos should consider drafting a good defensive tackle early, if available, to better this situation. With a dominant pass-rusher in the middle, Denver will essentially be stacked on the defensive line. It will also allow older veteran like Vickerson and Justin Bannan to get more breaks with rotation.

If Denver would find themselves in a situation where there is not an adequate solution at their turn in the draft, they should certainly look to free agency to add to the d-line depth.  Perhaps a good idea would be signing former New York Giant, Chris Canty. Canty is no superstar, but is an effective pass
rusher. In a conference that is clearly not known too well for their powerful offensive lines, Canty should be very effective in Denver’s current system.