Full Denver Broncos Midseason Awards
The Denver Broncos have made it halfway through the 2015 season with an unblemished 7-0 record. They are one of only four teams remaining in the NFL with an undefeated record, and after destroying the Green Bay Packers 29-10 in Week 8, they are considered to be at the top—or near the top—in the AFC. With continued strong play from the defense and with an offense that seems to be improving, the Broncos could snare a first-round bye and perhaps home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
We’re about halfway through the season, so now is the perfect time to look back at what has transpired up to this point and hand out some awards.
Some of the categories include breakout players, rookies making an impact, studs playing at the highest level, grading the injuries so far this year and players who have disappointed.
Who are the award-winning players on the Broncos roster? Let’s take a look.
Best Trade: TE Vernon Davis
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The Broncos made a splash before the trade deadline by adding tight end Vernon Davis. He has yet to play a snap for the Broncos, but this looks like the best trade the team has made all season.
A look at Pro Sports Transactions will show the few other trades the Broncos made this year. One of the first trades the team made at the start of this new league year was to add center Gino Gradkowski. Formerly of the Baltimore Ravens, Gradkowski had started 16 games for the Ravens in 2013 but performed poorly and was a reserve player behind Jeremy Zuttah in 2014.
Gary Kubiak was the Ravens offensive coordinator in 2014 and saw enough of Gradkowski to recommend the team add him to the roster after last year’s center Will Montgomery moved on in free agency. Gradkowski spent most of the offseason as the team’s top center. However, after four days of training camp, Matt Paradis supplanted him.
During final cuts, Denver waived Gradkowski. The Atlanta Falcons picked him up the day after the Broncos waived him, and now he is their backup center.
The Broncos made a trade with the Detroit Lions to move up in the 2015 NFL draft so they could acquire linebacker Shane Ray (more on him later). To make the move, the team sent center Manny Ramirez and its 2015 first-round pick plus two fifth-round picks (2015, 2016) for the Lions' 23rd overall pick.
During training camp, the team also traded away offensive tackle Chris Clark to the Houston Texans for a seventh-round pick in 2016.
Davis has incredible upside, and he could be yet another dangerous weapon for this Broncos offense. His career had gone off track with the 49ers, but Davis should be rejuvenated catching passes from Peyton Manning.
Most Improved Player: LB Shaquil Barrett
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Second-year pro Shaquil Barrett has made a big impact this year for the Broncos defense. Added as an undrafted free agent in 2014, Barrett failed to make the final roster as a rookie. Instead, he spent his first season in the pros on the practice squad, where he worked hard to develop his game.
Earlier this year in training camp, it was clear that Barrett was ready to break out.
The Broncos worked him onto the field as a part-time pass-rusher earlier this year. Barrett has good snap anticipation and quickly bursts into the backfield to disrupt the play. With a large wingspan and a good closing burst, he can make up ground quickly and get to the passer. Barrett is essentially a forced-fumble specialist as he will often jar the ball loose from the quarterback as he snares the sack.
Barrett was thrust into the starting lineup for the Week 6 game against the Cleveland Browns when DeMarcus Ware missed the contest with a minor back injury. In seven games, Barrett has 19 tackles (12 solo), 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Now that Ware is back, Barrett will go back to being a part-time player—but he can still continue to make a big impact for this ferocious Broncos defense.
Biggest Disappointment: WR Cody Latimer
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Things were supposed to be different for second-year wide receiver Cody Latimer this season. Entering this offseason, the belief was that Latimer was going to take off as the third wide receiver behind Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Even Sanders was quoted earlier this year commenting on how he would move to the slot in certain formations so Latimer could line up on the outside opposite Thomas.
Latimer made plays as a rookie in training camp and the preseason, but he barely saw the field under the old coaching regime. This year was a fresh start with Kubiak, and Latimer did a good job of impressing once again in offseason workouts.
However, when the preseason rolled around, things went off track.
Instead of thriving with increased playing time, Latimer was often found running the wrong routes and getting chewed out by Manning. Latimer’s confidence seemed to be shaken, and eventually Jordan Norwood, Bennie Fowler and even Andre “Bubba” Caldwell outplayed him.
This season Latimer has been active for all but one game. He’ll see the field at times, but his 53 total snaps this year have seen him mostly line up as a blocker. Latimer does have one target, but he ran the wrong route against the Browns in Week 6 and once again drew the ire of Manning.
Latimer makes plays when catching passes from Brock Osweiler in practice. The young wide receiver has a ton of natural talent and could still develop into a fine weapon at the pro level. However, in order to play up to his potential, Latimer will need a change of locale or a change of quarterback.
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Rookie of the Year: LB Shane Ray
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The Broncos moved up in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft for linebacker Shane Ray. This was the first time under the guidance of general manager John Elway the team had made such a transaction. Ray was a talented pass-rusher in college, but he had fallen in the first round. He could have easily gone off the board as a top-10 pick, but teams were hesitant to take him there.
The Broncos were not hesitant when it came to finalizing a deal to secure Ray’s services.
Dealing with a foot injury in the predraft process, Ray had not been able to fully show off his skill set for scouts and evaluators. The Broncos took a chance that he would get healthy with time and then shine as a pass-rusher. The team took it easy on the young player as he continued to wait and recover from his foot injury.
When the time was right, Ray was allowed to showcase his tremendous skill set in training camp.
With Ray healthy, it was easy to see why the Broncos would move assets to climb in the draft order so they could pluck him from the college talent pool. He showed good burst off the line of scrimmage and a nonstop motor during practice—even as he worked to build his stamina back up. The rookie also showed that he played with an aggressive mindset, natural violence and a chip on his shoulder from being passed over in the draft.
On the field, Ray contributed immediately as a part-time pass-rusher. Like Barrett, Ray did a fine job of creating pressure from the edge and putting opposing quarterbacks under duress. In six games, he logged four tackles (three solo) and two sacks. Even though those numbers aren’t staggering, he is also able to build pressure and force quarterbacks into the awaiting grasp of his teammates.
Ray was banged up in the Week 6 game against the Browns with a knee injury. The MCL sprain kept him out of the Week 8 game against the Packers, and he may miss a couple of more games as he continues to recover. When healthy, he has shown the ability to make an impact at the pro level. There are some interesting players the team added in the draft this year, but none is playing as well as Ray is.
Worst Injury: LT Ryan Clady
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The domino effect on the offensive line started with the injury to left tackle Ryan Clady. During the regular season, the Broncos have lined up three different left tackles. They would have only had one—likely playing at an All-Pro level—had Clady not gotten hurt in minicamp earlier this year.
Once Clady went down, the Broncos moved 2015 second-round pick Ty Sambrailo from the right side to the left. Sambrailo was originally thought to be a potential starter at right tackle, but that all changed when Denver lost Clady.
Sambrailo went through most of the offseason as the starting left tackle and worked through training camp as the starter. The rookie had some struggles, but he easily understood the zone-blocking system because that’s what he played in (as a left tackle) at Colorado State.
He started the first three games at left tackle and didn’t do a bad job. However, Denver lost Sambrailo for the season after he suffered a major shoulder injury in the Week 3 game against the Detroit Lions. As a result, the team moved veteran Ryan Harris from starting at right tackle over to left tackle.
Harris is a seasoned player with plenty of experience, but he’s been a little bit banged up at left tackle with a minor knee injury. His shaky health status has led the team to plug in veteran Tyler Polumbus from time to time.
According to Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com, the Broncos were interested in trading for All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas, but they could not come to an agreement on compensation with the Browns. None of these dominoes falls if Clady was never hurt, though.
Most Underrated Player: FS Darian Stewart
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On a defense full of playmakers at every level, one defender doesn’t get enough credit as he deserves. The Broncos added free safety Darian Stewart in free agency earlier this year. Kubiak was familiar with him from their time together with the Ravens, and the team had to find a starter at the position with Rahim Moore moving on in free agency to the Houston Texans.
Stewart plays with high football intelligence. He does a good job of diagnosing plays as they develop in front of him. He has good click-and-close ability to swoop in on the ball-carrier in the middle of the field. Stewart plays with no fear and has no problem coming up to aid the defense in run support.
While not the fastest defender, Stewart rarely takes false steps or gets out of position. He seems to always be around the ball in coverage and can stay in the back pocket of a receiver on a downfield route.
His ability to play center field for the Broncos allows strong safety T.J. Ward to play close to the line of scrimmage like an extra linebacker. So far this season, Stewart has 32 tackles (25 solo), one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Stewart’s interception came in the Week 1 victory over the Ravens. With Baltimore driving, Stewart ripped a potential touchdown pass away from tight end Crockett Gillmore in the end zone. Stewart’s play ended the game and secured the win to open up the season. More people need to be talking about this unheralded playmaker on the Broncos defense.
First-Half MVPs: CBs Aqib Talib & Chris Harris
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The identity of this team is on the defensive side of the ball, and arguably the MVPs of that unit are cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris. Once college teammates at the University of Kansas, this dynamic duo was formed with the Broncos last year, and both players have taken their game to the next level this season under defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.
The defense is more aggressive this year under Phillips, and the pressure created up front by the pass-rushers only makes these elite-level cornerbacks look even better.
At 6'1", 205 pounds, Talib has the size to take on larger receivers or tight ends. He’s a physical player at the line of scrimmage who can disrupt the timing of a route. He has good straight-line speed and does a good job of closing on an incoming pass.
Harris is one of the most versatile players in the game. He can play inside as a slot corner and also move outside to take on speedier receivers downfield. Harris has incredible confidence in his ability, and he will bait quarterbacks into making bad throws.
Talib has three interceptions this year, with two of them being returned for a touchdown. Harris has two interceptions this year, including a pick-six. Harris has played 436 snaps in 2015, while Talib has played 404. Neither one comes off the field that much, and opposing quarterbacks try their best to stay away from both defenders.
Harris and Talib were phenomenal in the Week 8 victory over the Packers, helping to hold Aaron Rodgers to a mere 77 yards passing. Going forward, opposing quarterbacks should continue to have nightmares about these two Pro Bowlers.
All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database.
Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.
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