Broncos are switching Jamal Carter's position from safety to inside linebacker

Safety Jamal Carter has been tapped to step in and play some ILB for the Broncos.

The Denver Broncos aren't getting the production they're looking for from their depth inside linebackers. 

With starting tandem Todd Davis and Josey Jewell both sidelined this past week, the Broncos had to lean on the likes of the second-year Alexander Johnson and Keishawn Bierria, along with undrafted rookies Josh Watson and Joe Dineen. 

In terms of filling gaps and pursuing in the run game, it was solid-if-unspectacular ILB play vs. Seattle in preseason Game 2, but far from what you'd want to see in a Vic Fangio defense. 

And so the Broncos are shaking things up. Third-year safety Jamal Carter has been tapped to play some actual off-ball linebacker. That started on Sunday at the Broncos' camp practice. 

For now, it's a temporary move. But just how temporary likely depends on how well Carter grasps the opportunity. 

“We’re going to move him to inside linebacker right now," Fangio said on Sunday. "Right now, it’s temporary, but if he looks good in there it will be permanent. It’s twofold. Our numbers have gotten low there and he’s always wanted to play in there, so the timing was good. He wants to be in there.”

Denver's ILB numbers have diminished since camp opened. Although Jewell returned to practice on Sunday, Davis will be out for a while yet and Joe Jones, the next-best guy, tore his triceps in preseason Game 1. 

Carter has plenty of experience playing the box. As a strong safety, the Broncos have played him at dime-backer where he can be close to the line of scrimmage and chase the ball. It allows him to use his physicality. 

Still, being in the muss full-time is going to be something new for Carter. But apparently, it's an opportunity he's been pining for since high school. 

“I've been wanting to play this since high school and college," Carter said following practice on Sunday. "I like being in the trenches. I'm a physical specimen. I don't like being too deep away from arms and contact. It’s going to fit me.”

Carter went undrafted out of Miami back in 2017 and made the Broncos' 53-man roster out of training camp, mostly by virtue of his special teams acumen. In year two, he suffered a brutal hamstring injury that cost him his entire second year. 

As a safety in year three, frankly, Carter has been forgettable, which is not a word he'd likely want associated with his play. Through two preseason games, he's mostly been a J-A-G — just a guy. 

Hopefully, dropping the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Carter down into the box full-time will bring out the dog in him. I think it will. Physical freaks like him belong close to the action. 

The key will be, can he get off blocks? Vic Fangio must not be too worried about it, because the change to linebacker has already been made. The other obstacle for Carter will be the language, which, believe it or not, is different for LBs than it is for DBs. 

“Getting all the checks at the line and the language because the DBs and the LBs have different languages, so I just have to learn their language,” Carter said in regards to what he struggled with day one at LB. 

It'll be interesting to see how it shakes out because what the Broncos' off-ball LB corps is missing from the top down is athleticism and the ability to cover in short areas. One would think that with all those years of playing DB, coverage ability would the one leg up a guy like Carter would have joining the LB corps. 

Seeing the roster spots at safety drying up, especially with Kareem Jackson being played there full-time and Will Parks being a lock for the roster, Carter's path to the 53 just improved significantly — if he can distinguish himself and prove a natural fit at LB.

“They came and they told me they were going to send me out there, so I was like, 'Let's go'," Carter said. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.