Can the Broncos' 3-Headed Pass-Rush Attack Become the NFL's Best?

The Denver Broncos had 41 sacks last year, which would be a decent total had they not also faced the most pass attempts. In terms of sack percentage, the Broncos were below average at an even 6 percent.

Adding veteran pass-rusher DeMarcus Ware last offseason to pair with Von Miller was supposed to pay huge dividends, but despite a combined 24 sacks from the duo, that wasn’t the case in Year 1. In fact, the pass rush got worse in 2014.

Given this information, it makes perfect sense why the Broncos selected Shane Ray, the talented defensive end out of Missouri, with a first-round pick in 2015. With Ray, new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, Miller and Ware, the Broncos have a chance to become the NFL’s best at getting to the quarterback.

Despite declining numbers, the Broncos don’t have that far to go. The Buffalo Bills led the NFL is sacks last year with 54, which was also five more than any other team. From a raw numbers standpoint, the Broncos need roughly 10 more sacks on defense to be in the top five.

Year	Sacks	Rank	Sack %	Rank	PFF Grade	PFF Rank
2012	52	1	8.50%	2	+24.2	11
2013	41	13	6.30%	17	+13.5	15
2014	41	9	6.00%	21	+22.2	12

In 2012, the Broncos led the league in sacks, with Miller having 18.5 sacks and both defensive end Derek Wolfe and linebacker Wesley Woodyard combining for 11.5 more. A healthy and motivated Miller, Ware and Ray should be able to replicate those numbers, and then some.

Just don’t expect Phillips to give up how he’s going to use all three players. It’s safe to say one will be rushing inside on passing downs or they’ll rotate. That means one of the three are either going to be rushing out of position or not on the field, which isn’t ideal.

“Can’t rush them all outside, though,” Phillips said, per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. “We’ll figure something out.’’

Even a battle-tested defensive coordinator like Phillips isn’t quite sure how he’s going to unlock the ability of all three players simultaneously when they all have similar strengths. It’s a good problem to have, but if Phillips can’t figure out a good way to get them all on the field, the Broncos may have wasted an opportunity.

"The tornado is trying to come out. We've got the 'Fearsome Threesome' out there together. We are trying to whirl that thing up and really get pressure on the quarterback," Ware said, per Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post. "I think it's going to be great."

Ware also hinted at how the Broncos were going to use Ray and how it helps the whole defense. With all the attention on Miller, Ray and Ware, Wolfe and Malik Jackson are going to get plenty of one-on-one matchups.

“All of us can play the same position. But we are versatile enough that one can be the 'Mike,' one the 'Will' and one the 'Sam.' You could put us all three on one side and the defense should fan out to us," Ware said per Renck. "But guess what. Let's stick Wolfe or Malik Jackson on the other side in a one-on-one. It becomes pick your poison. This could be really good."

While questions remain about how the Broncos will get all three on the field enough to make a big impact, Ware isn’t far off. The challenge for Phillips will be creating lanes to get to the quarterback for the player that’s stuck rushing in the middle.

Year	Draft Pick	Sacks	Rank	Sack %	Rank
2006 Cowboys (No Phillips)	-	34	19	6.2%	19
2007 Cowboys (Phillips)	Anthony Spencer	46	3	7.3%	4
2010 Texans (No Phillips)	-	30	23	5.2%	25
2011 Texans (Phillips)	J.J. Watt	44	6	7.6%	5

In 2011, in Phillips’ first year in Houston as defensive coordinator, he did just that. Connor Barwin, Antonio Smith, Brooks Reed, J.J. Watt, Mario Williams and Brian Cushing all had four or more sacks. Only Barwin had more than 10.

He also managed to maximize his talent in 2007 as the head coach for the Dallas Cowboys. In his first year, the Cowboys had more sacks and a higher sack percentage than the year before. Questions may remain on just how exactly the Broncos will make use of Miller, Ware and Ray at the same time, but you can bet Phillips will figure it out.

“We’ll put our best players on the field,” Wade said, via Legwold. “Get your best players out there, your best rushers out there in third-down situations.”

All stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.