Finding Broncos: Two Edge Rushers to Improve the Depth

There is a solid group of edge rushers for the Denver Broncos, but the issue is they can't stay on the field. First, Randy Gregory has never played an entire season and played in more than 12 games only once in his career. Then with Baron Browning, he had an excellent start to the season, but injuries slowed him down, and Nik Bonittio hardly saw the field as a rookie who needed a lot of development.

The Broncos need help at the position to improve their depth and provide insurance for the group with talent that can't stay on the field. Teams also cannot have enough edge rushers, and they may be in a position to move on from Gregory after this season and have a lot riding on Bonitto's development.

K.J. Henry | Edge | Clemson

Pros

Solid athlete with good speed and initial burst.
Has solid experience, with nearly 1,800 snaps on defense over five years.
Respected by teammates and praised for leadership qualities on and off the field.
He has shown the versatility to move around the front.
He does well in turning his initial burst off the snap into power.
He does well to get below the tackle pads and drive them back.
He has good discipline in his game, understands his role in each play, and executes it well.
He keeps his eyes on the quarterback as a pass rusher and reads his eyes, getting his hands up in the passing lane with success having nine batted passes.
There is good length and size for the NFL.
He does well attacking the throwing motion of quarterbacks when he is going around the arc and unable to get home.
There is consistent praise for his football IQ, understanding of situations, and the game's flow.
He does well deconstructing blocks and breaking down the tackle to open up a lane for himself or a teammate on stunts/twists.

Cons

He lacks explosion and didn't do agility drills; lateral agility is a concern.
Rotational piece for three years before starting in 2022.
Only had 15 sacks in a five-year career, with a season-high of five in 2021 and 2022.
Experience on special teams but was more of a body than a solid piece.
Lacking the technical refinement as a pass rusher and doesn't have a reliable move in his arsenal.
He can be easy to drive back at the point of attack.
He will duck, lunge into contact, and consistently open his chest up for a punch.
There are questions about how much he has to offer up as a reliable pass-rusher on obvious passing downs in the NFL.
Being part of a rotation, he hasn't had a chance to show he can be the guy.
Not overly bendy or twitchy as an athlete.

Overview

Henry is an intelligent football player that can be a reliable depth piece with some upside to develop into a solid second option as an edge rusher. In college, he was stuck as a rotational piece, which may be his best role in the NFL. He is a solid rusher defender and pass rusher, which is what teams typically want from their #3 guy. With his leadership qualities and intangibles, teams will covet what Henry can bring, and it could help lead to a lengthy career for him.

Fit with Broncos

There is a good fit between Henry and the Broncos, and he would help raise the floor of the room. He has enough as a pass rusher and run defender to be capable depth. While the Broncos could use someone with more upside and potential to be a top guy at the position, raising the floor is also something that needs to be done.

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Habakkuk Baldonado | Edge | Pittsburgh

Pros

A solid athlete overall, who did well with explosion testing and alright with agility drills.
He has good size and length, which he uses quite well.
He has some MMA training, and some hand techniques can reflect that.
He has a good explosion off the snap and can turn it into power well enough.
Has solid two-year production, factoring in the missed time in 2022, with 72 pressures and 13 sacks.
There is good lateral agility, and he does well to make himself small, which can be coveted with stunts and twists so prominent.
There are a couple of well-developed pass-rush moves in his arsenal.
He can use his length, with leverage, and generate power to get tackles off-balance.

Cons

he is still extremely raw as a football player with the traits needed to put it all together.
He needs to improve his techniques with his lower body, especially his footwork.
His motor can run cold and inconsistent when the play goes away from him or he overpursues the play.
Missed time in 2022 with an injury.
He has solid experience in college but is still newer to the sport.
The lack of experience can be reflected in the lack of discipline in his game.
He has a high missed tackle rate of 14.3% in his career, with a 20.5% in 2021 and 13.6% in 2022.
He has to improve his football IQ and work on the development and execution of a pass-rush plan.
There isn't great balance when attacking as a pass rusher.
There isn't great flexibility to make the path to the quarterback shorter with crips cuts in his attack.

Overview

Baldanado is a good athlete with good length, but he must develop the football side. Some solid techniques are developed, but a lot of work is left to be done. The issue is he has modest experience on special teams to help while the defensive side of things develops.

Fit with Broncos

While he can fit the scheme, he is a project to develop that won't offer much in year one and maybe even year two. The Broncos need to raise the floor at the very least, and Baldanado doesn't do that. So he could be worth a shot to develop for a year or two down the road, but only if they find someone else who can push for a starting job or raise the floor of the room.

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