Justin Simmons … and? Broncos have competition looming at safety

It helps when you start with a legitimate top-3 player at their position.

The linchpin: Justin Simmons

As Justin Simmons heads into his eighth Broncos season, he’s starting to creep into territory that puts him in the Ring of Fame discussion. He’s been a Pro Bowler and a three-time second-team All-Pro. His 6 interceptions were the most by a Bronco in a single season since the salad days of Champ Bailey.

Simmons had a career-high in interceptions in spite of spending time on injured reserve, as well as not having many opportunities as teams felt little need to press the issue in some games. His ball-tracking skills continue to improve, and he remains the best “center field”-type safety in the NFL.

Yet the Broncos haven’t made the postseason since he joined the team. He arrived just as the echoes of the Super Bowl 50 party with Flo Rida performing for the Broncos were fading.

The late-career veteran: Kareem Jackson

It took a while for Jackson’s return to become reality. Denver didn’t sign the 14-year veteran until May. For the third-consecutive year, he will play on a one-year deal.

“I think he’s one of the most underrated players, especially when you are talking about what we do and how we do it,” Simmons said last month. “… It’s huge to have Kareem back.”

Of course, Sean Payton is Jackson’s third head coach in as many seasons. It didn’t take long for Jackson to notice a difference.

“And this is no disrespect to any of my other coaches that I’ve been around, but I haven’t been around a football mind like that in my career,” Jackson said. “Just his attention to detail, the way he’s teaching everybody and taking chances on the field to stop things and coach the moments.”

But after not rejoining the team until just before Phase 3 of OTAs, he has a fight on his hands.

The depth and potential: Caden Sterns, P.J. Locke, Delarrin Turner-Yell, JL Skinner

The fight for Simmons starts with Sterns, a highly-efficient playmaker who saw his path to playing time waylaid last year by a hip injury.

“I think that he’s smart, and that’s a good trait to have at his position,” Payton said during OTAs. “He [also] has instincts.”

But what Sterns has not had in recent years is optimal health. He missed 12 games last year. And going back to the University of Texas, he’s missed at least two games in each of the preceding four seasons.

“For him staying healthy and then taking a little bit of this momentum [from OTAs],” Payton said last month. “Confidence is born really out of demonstrated ability. You can hope for confidence, or say, ‘I’m going to be confident,’ but it’s only born from demonstrated ability. Plays like that—you guys have all seen a preseason game where someone excels and then all of a sudden, you have a different player. You can point to a certain moment.

“He’s one of those type of players.”

The Broncos brought Locke back because of his intelligence and versatility. He is a core special-teamer who can also work effectively in sub packages. In each of his three Broncos seasons, he’s played more than 75 percent of the special-teams snaps as a four-phase contributor.

Given the primacy of special teams on Payton’s priority list, Locke could be tough to dislodge.

The same could be true for Turner-Yell, although he didn’t play a single defensive snap last year as a rookie. And the arrival of sixth-round pick JL Skinner complicates things, as Skinner brings a unique skill set to the room. He’s a thumper who can diagnose runs and screen passes as they develop.

Skinner is the fourth Day 3 safety taken by the Broncos since George Paton became the general manager. So far, the return-on-investment reaped one potential starter (Sterns), one player since cut (Jamar Johnson) and the two on whom the jury remains out: Turner-Yell and Skinner.

Further, there is likely room for only two of Locke, Turner-Yell and Skinner to make the 53-player roster. This is another back-of-the-roster scrum that brings intrigue to training camp.

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