Why Nate Irving Is Denver Broncos' Most Pleasant Surprise After 3 Weeks

Over the course of his first three years in the league, Nate Irving was largely seen as a disappointment in Denver. After all, he had recorded just 58 tackles and one sack after the Broncos used a third-round pick on him in 2011.

In that time, the Broncos have used guys like Joe Mays, Keith Brooking, Wesley Woodyard and even Paris Lenon at the middle linebacker position that was supposed to belong to Irving coming out of North Carolina State.

Coming into the 2014 season, the Broncos had just one of those players still on the roster—Irving.

When players like C.J. Mosley and Ryan Shazier were drafted before the Broncos came on the clock in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, the Broncos were left with the option of turning to the man they drafted to play middle linebacker three years ago.

After the organization showed enough confidence to give Irving another chance to rise to the occasion, he has responded very well.

"

Del Rio says Nate Irving is off to a good start in camp: "He understands where he belongs … He moves a little better than people think."

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) August 1, 2014"

Irving looks like a completely different player this season. He already has 29 tackles and one sack on the year. Three of those tackles have resulted in a loss of yardage.

The Broncos have long needed a physical, attacking middle linebacker who can stuff the run. Though it appeared that Irving would never be that guy at first, it certainly seems like he is now.

In the very first game of the season, Irving made his presence known as soon as the Denver defense took the field.

After Indianapolis Colts running back Trent Richardson gained six yards on his first carry, Irving snuffed out a draw play from the shotgun formation, slamming Richardson to the turf for a one-yard loss.

In the second quarter of that game, Irving corralled Colts quarterback Andrew Luck for a sack, leading to a three-and-out for the Colts.

Though Denver allowed the Colts to get back in the game, Irving asserted himself as a rejuvenated player in the middle of an aggressive defense.

In Week 3, the Broncos traveled to Seattle to meet the defending Super Bowl champions. CenturyLink Field has become a house of horrors for many NFL teams, but the Denver defense held its own.

Average per game	Tackles	Tackles for Loss	Sacks
First 3 Seasons	1.26	0.17	0.02
2014	9.66	1.0	0.33

Irving was a key contributor to the effort.

He had 13 tackles on the day, and anyone willing to question Irving's ability to be the thumping middle linebacker Denver has sorely needed can look to a play early in that game.

Following Montee Ball's fumble on Denver's first offensive snap, Seattle took over at the Denver 23-yard line. After working it down to the 1-yard line, Seattle faced a 3rd-and-goal.

They turned and handed the ball to Marshawn Lynch, one of the toughest running backs to tackle in the entire NFL. Sensing an easy touchdown, Lynch headed toward the end zone, only to be stoned by Irving. Rahim Moore came in to help clean things up, but it was the burst and low pad level displayed by Irving that allowed him to make the stop.

"

Early look at #Broncos film review. Plays like this are why Nate Irving is one of the best breakthrough players inDEN pic.twitter.com/8eR11lq3aJ

— Predominantly Orange (@PredomOrange) September 23, 2014"

This forced Seattle to kick a field goal and allowed the Broncos to avoid an early disaster to start the game.

These are the types of plays fans of the Broncos have never seen Irving make. These are the types of plays they have been waiting for.

Later in the game, Irving helped Denver tackle Lynch in the end zone for a safety. That play created the momentum for Denver to get back into the game.

The Broncos still need to learn to play together on defense to come up with the perfect performance, but they are clearly capable of doing so. Seeing Irving have this kind of success early is as encouraging as anything right now.

While there still may be a few question marks on defense, middle linebacker isn't among them. Irving has that under control.