Denver Broncos' Defensive Depth Contributes to Dominance

The Denver Broncos defense is more than its four Pro Bowl performers. It's more than T.J. Ward screaming up to the line of scrimmage and making another stop against the run. It's more than Malik Jackson and Derek Wolfe creating havoc in opposing backfields. It's even more than Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan flying around the field and leading the team in tackles.

The Broncos' No. 1 overall defense strikes a perfect balance between talent and scheme with a level of depth to continually terrorize opponents.

When the aforementioned starters leave the field, Denver doesn't experience a dip in play. Over the course of the season, multiple backup defenders rose to the occasion when provided with an opportunity to perform.

Many of these backups played key roles and could start on multiple teams around the league. All-Pro outside linebacker Von Miller praised his less heralded teammates last month, per ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold:

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I said before, I think it's the guys behind the starters that make the defense what it is. We have good players, we have guys who make plays and Coach Wade [Phillips], he gets us right where we need to be and turns us loose. That's all part of it, but to go through what we've gone through and still do what we do, it's those guys behind the starters. And offenses don't really know who's going to make all the plays.

"

This is a luxury most organizations can't claim, and the team's defensive depth should prove vital in Denver's attempt to capture its third league championship when the Broncos meet the Carolina Panthers in Santa Clara, California, for Super Bowl 50.

The scheme is built around the defense's ability to apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Miller and DeMarcus Ware are absolute monsters off the edge and set the table for Phillips' scheme. Their dominance directly led to the Broncos' Super Bowl berth, as Pro Football Focus noted:

Miller and Ware tormented New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady all afternoon in the AFC Championship Game and recorded three combined sacks, but they're only the first wave of the team's pass-rushers.

Shaquil Barrett and Shane Ray

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

One went undrafted in his class, while the other became the team's most recent first-round draft pick. Despite their differences, Shaquil Barrett and Shane Ray form a dynamic duo behind Miller and Ware.

Even after Barrett was voted the Mountain West Defensive Player of the year with 20.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks, 256 picks came and went during the 2014 NFL draft without his name being called.

The Colorado State product signed with the Broncos after the event concluded and spent the season on the team's practice squad.

Barrett's 2015 campaign couldn't have been more different. The 6'2", 250-pound outside linebacker became a key cog in the team's defensive rotation. He even started six games this season due to injuries to Ware and Miller.

As a starter, Barrett registered 3.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hits or hurries.

"You just see everybody making plays on this defense and you want to be one of those guys too," Barrett said in October, per Legwold. "I just want to make something happen whenever they put me out there."

Against the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, the backup outside linebacker pressured Brady with two of the team's 25 quarterback hurries.

Shane Ray actually played more snaps Sunday than Barrett.

Injury and background concerns caused major hits to Ray's draft stock. These didn't dissuade the Broncos from trading up in the first round to select the pass-rusher with the 23rd overall pick.

The Missouri product dealt with injuries prior to the start of the season and during the season, but his explosiveness off the edge only added to the league's best defense.

The 2014 SEC Defensive Player of the Year finished sixth on the team with 15 quarterback hurries—one more than Barrett—despite missing two games and not starting a single contest.

"It's been a really good thing knowing that the guys are really quick learners, really good athletes," Ware said, per Mile High Sports' Sam Cowhick. "But it carries over to the field. Especially when I got hurt or other guys are coming out, you don't see that lag from the second-team guys."

As the young pass-rushers make their presence felt, a couple of veteran backups along the defensive line provide starting-caliber play.

Vance Walker and Antonio Smith

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

In all honestly, the performances from Jackson and Wolfe are generally overlooked, so how much attention will their backups receive? Not much, but they should get far more.

Neither Vance Walker nor Antonio Smith played for Denver last year, but general manager John Elway made a couple of thrifty moves by signing both to relatively inexpensive contracts during the offseason.

Walker stands out as one of the league's better, albeit unknown, run defenders. According to Pro Football Focus, the 28-year-old lineman finished 11th overall in run defense among 3-4 defensive ends. He did so despite only playing 388 snaps in the regular season.

The Georgia Tech product was prepared for the AFC Championship Game after playing in a championship game as a member of the Atlanta Falcons. He wrote about his preparation prior to the meeting with the Patriots, via the Broncos' official site:

"

I've learned the fundamentals don't change. More people are watching, there's a lot more at stake. Of course you want to give 100 percent in every play, but it doesn't change the fundamentals. Your preparation needs to be top notch. We're still tackling. We're still shedding blocks, still getting pressure. It doesn't change any of those things. You have to do your routine, believe in what you've believed the entire season, but don't let it shake you up, the greatness of it all.

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The defensive end didn't let the greatness of the game shake him. Despite only playing seven snaps, Walker provided a stop at the line of scrimmage and a quarterback hit during Sunday's contest.

Like Walker, Smith has already played in big games during his 12-year career—including a previous Super Bowl appearance as a member of the Arizona Cardinals.

Smith brings another experienced voice to the locker room. He's also a proven commodity on the field even in his limited opportunities. During his career, Smith has started 133 games; this season was the first time he didn't serve as a full-time starter since the 2008 campaign.

Among the backups, Smith led the way with 18 quarterback hurries during the regular season.

The 34-year-old veteran has played alongside some great defensive linemen during his career—J.J. Watt, Darnell Dockett and Justin Tuck—but he sees something different in the Broncos' current group.

"It's just the perfect mixture of all kinds of things," Smith said about the defense, per the Denver Post's Nicki Jhabvala. "It isn't that everyone's the same. I can't even explain it. It's like you threw a whole bunch of junk together and it just came out good. That's what it's like."

While Walker and Smith were bargains, the Broncos invested a lot in another backup who is contributing at a high level.

Bradley Roby

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

Ray isn't the only former first-round pick the Broncos bring off the bench. Denver used the 31st overall pick in the 2014 class to select cornerback Bradley Roby.

Roby has developed into an integral and versatile piece of the rotation.

The Ohio State product often comes in during nickel situations and plays outside cornerback while Chris Harris Jr. slides inside to cover the slot.

"You're in sub personnel groups so much more than you're in base," Broncos defensive backs coach Joe Woods told the MMQB's Robert Klemko, "so really having a third corner is essential.

"The biggest thing with Rob' is experience, because he has all the athletic tools. Right now, he's hitting his peak. All the guys in the room can see that."

There were even points this season when the team needed Roby to step in at safety due to numerous injuries.

Clearly, Harris and Aqib Talib are top cornerbacks, but due to the NFL's pass-heavy tendencies and multiple-receiver sets, Roby's playmaking ability in the secondary isn't simply a luxury—it's needed.

"He's a top-notch draft choice, but yet he's got two All-Pro players ahead of him," Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak said Thursday, per NFL.com's James Palmer. "That could bother a lot of guys, but me being one year with Bradley, I see it as driving Bradley to be a great player."

Roby doesn't shrink in the big moments either.

"I'm not going to lie, I've always made big plays when the game is on the line," Roby said. "Even when I was in little league, high school. But then I played offense, so now it's different. They just come at me and I make plays."

The former first-round pick made the biggest play of the Broncos' season in the AFC divisional round against the Pittsburgh Steelers by forcing a fumble with a big hit against running back Fitzgerald Toussaint.

The turnover led to the Broncos' game-winning drive.

Harris is still nursing a shoulder injury, and with the Panthers' penchant to threaten defenses deep, Roby's presence in the secondary is vitally important as Denver prepares for the Super Bowl.

Legendary Backups

A year ago, an unknown cornerback out of West Alabama, Malcolm Butler, snatched a Super Bowl victory away from the Seattle Seahawks. The New England Patriots coaching staff made sure Butler was well prepared for the play Seattle eventually ran at the goal line with the biggest game of their lives on the line.

Everyone celebrates the quarterbacks, skill players and Pro Bowl performers, but players like Butler or the Seahawks' Malcolm Smith can become household names after coming off the bench to make the biggest plays in their careers.

In Denver this season, multiple unheralded defenders became the glue that held the league's top defense together. Performances from Barrett, Ray, Walker, Roby and Antonio Smith have been crucial to the team's overall success.

If one steps up and makes the biggest play in Super Bowl 50, it won't come as a surprise.

All advanced statistics provided by Pro Football Focus. Brent Sobleski covers the NFL and NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.