Denver Broncos: Who Is Their Most Underrated Playmaker for 2015?

The Denver Broncos have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball. They’ll have a new look on both offense and defense this season with new coordinators and a new head coach.

The biggest difference Broncos fans may notice this year is on the defense. Sure, they’ll be more balanced on offense but we already saw that last year. This season, the defense is going to be aggressive and could forge themselves as a primary part of the team’s identity—not Peyton Manning and the offense.

In the middle of the defense, the Broncos have a stud playmaker.

Brandon Marshall has worked hard to become a reliable starter for the Broncos. However, he’s not just reliable—Marshall is a playmaker who can fire up the rest of his teammates around him.

In this article, we examine why Marshall is the Broncos' most underrated playmaker for the 2015 season.

The History

Eugene Tanner/Associated Press

In college at Nevada, Marshall was asked to regularly make impact plays. Over the last three years of his college career, Marshall started every game. During that time, Marshall had 35 or more solo tackles each season. He capped off his college career by racking up 102 total tackles for the Wolfpack in 2011.

Marshall regularly made plays on the other side of the line of scrimmage. He finished his college career with 33.5 tackles for loss in addition to three interceptions, 19 passes defensed, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

The Jaguars liked Marshall enough to select him in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft. He bounced on and off the roster, but mostly spent time with them for two seasons on the practice squad. In August of 2013, the Jaguars released Marshall again.

Only a few days after he was released by the Jaguars (for the final time), the Broncos picked him up and put him on the practice squad in September of 2013. They’ve kept him around as an exclusive rights free agent over the last couple of years as Marshall has gone from a special teams guy to a starter for the defense.

The Skill Set

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Marshall has been a fantastic find for the Broncos. Instead of looking at Marshall as just a special teams player, the Broncos gave him a shot to do more—and he excelled.

He’s not the tallest linebacker (6’1”), but he uses his long arms that give him a larger tackle radius than others at his position. Marshall can find the ball quickly, and he does a good job of diagnosing plays as they unfold in front of him.

Marshall plays with high football intelligence, and gives a lot of credit to the mental work he does each week.

“In the meeting rooms I try to be locked in. I try to be dialed in on the field and I try to get all the calls and try to put myself in the position of the players while they’re in there. Me and [ILB] Danny [Trevathan] try to do the same thing. Get the call, we understand it, OK—we’ll be right here or whatever the case may be.” Marshall continued, “There is a lot of responsibility so I think mental reps are just as important. Obviously you need to be in there, but mental reps can help you a lot.”

Marshall has the speed to chase down plays that go away from him. He’s not a drag-tackler, instead Marshall is a take-on tackler who doesn’t shy away from contact.

The Recovery

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

At this time, Marshall is still recovering from offseason surgery. Back in March, Marshall had surgery to repair his Lisfranc injury. Marshall missed two games last year in December, but he did return to the field in the playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Dr. Jene Bramel, from Footballguys.com, says he wouldn’t be surprised if Marshall began training camp on the PUP list. “In fact, he may begin the regular season on the PUP list.” Bramel said.

Marshall himself believes there is a target date in place. “I’ll be back in training camp. That’s what the word is. Until [I hear] otherwise, that’s what it is.” Notice how he says “in” training camp and not “at the beginning” of training camp. The Broncos will wisely be cautious with Marshall as he returns from this injury.

He believes that he’ll be able to do something at the start of training camp—even if he’s not fully participating in practice.

“I should be able to do some drills at the start of training camp. I’m not sure about everything else but I know I’ll be able to do drills at the start of training camp.”

The delay in his surgery was something Marshall wishes he could have changed.

“I wish we could have got it done sooner and I would have been a lot farther along. It’s your foot, it’s annoying, but everything happens for a reason so I’ll get through this just like I’ve gotten through everything else.”

The New System

This year, Wade Phillips is running the defense for the Broncos and he’s crafting an aggressive 3-4 scheme to unleash on opponents. Marshall will be playing the strong-side inside linebacker (SAM) for the Broncos this year. The design of this defense will funnel most of the tackles to be had in Marshall’s direction.

Marshall seems comfortable with the system.

“It’s not a whole lot different in my eyes because it’s kind of the same just a different title to the defense. But it’s less complicated, it’s not as intricate as it was with [former Defensive Coordinator Jack] Del Rio’s defense. It will be less to think about which I think will help us out.”

Marshall does not shy away from contact. He can be an intimidating presence on the inside of the defense, and Marshall loves to set the tone for his teammates. Marshall arrives at the ball with natural violence, and he can be a very disruptive run-stuffer.

We’ll see if Marshall can at least get a few series in the preseason.

“Just because of the new defense, I might play a couple of series, or a game, or something like that. But, I think mentally I’ve always been locked in and dialed in, so I think I’ll be able to handle it if I don’t get as many reps as they would want me to get.”

Summary

There is no doubt about Marshall’s natural ability on the football field. He’s smart, tough and is a force to be reckoned with. The team is better when he’s on the field, and Marshall is only getting better with each opportunity.

Rehabbing his injury has been tough for Marshall, but he’s got a positive mindset.

“It’s been kind of tough because I’m used to always being out there doing my part to get better and help the team so it’s been a little rough, but I’m taking this time to really get my body right, really get my mind right and I think it’ll be beneficial.”

The Broncos passed on taking an inside linebacker with a premium pick in the 2015 NFL draft. Perhaps that was a sign they felt confident that Marshall would be able to regain his form and be an even bigger playmaker for them this season.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.