Atwater: Broncos secondary shaping into “something special”

If anyone has earned the right to be an authority on the defensive secondary in the NFL, it’s Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Steve Atwater.

And with some key offseason additions, along with retaining Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons, the Denver Broncos defensive backfield is shaping up to be “something special,” Atwater told “Orlando & Sandy” on Friday.

“I’ll tell you what, I think it’s going to be an amazing defense all the way around. I think they’re solid at just about every position,” Atwater said.

Atwater lauded Denver general manager George Paton for pulling off the offseason moves to improve the team’s secondary, specifically adding Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby to a depleted cornerback room.

“To add both Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby, I don’t know how George Paton was able to pull that off,” Atwater said. “But that’s exactly what we needed to do back there because that was the position I was concerned about.”

With that room upgraded, Atwater said the Broncos have more flexibility with their top pick at No. 9 in the upcoming NFL Draft at the end of this month.

“We can be a little bit more selective,” Atwater said. “Everyone doesn’t know that we’re going for a cornerback now. We can pick a cornerback. We can pick a linebacker. We can pick quarterback. We can go in a multitude of different ways now that we have that cornerback position shored up.”

Inside linebacker could be a spot the Broncos might be smart to look at, Atwater said, as it’s the only position on Denver’s defensive roster he believes might need some extra help.

“Although we have Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell, who both played well last year, I’d like to see one more dominate inside linebacker be added to that group, and I think we’ll be set,” Atwater said.

And perhaps later in the draft, Atwater added, the Broncos could look to take a safety to develop under Jackson and Simmons.

“Maybe they’ll draft a safety at some point in this draft, maybe second or third round, get a guy in here to learn behind those guys,” Atwater said. “They’re great role models. And he’ll get a chance to see great players what they play like, how they handle their business during the week in terms of studying and preparing and practicing hard. That would be a great thing.”

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