“No limit” for Malik Reed, Broncos defense in 2021

The Broncos linebacker has put lofty expectations not only on himself but his defense, as Denver looks to end a streak of four losing seasons

BY JOHNNY HART

Jun 3, 2021, 5:43 PM

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Following OTAs last week, veteran cornerback Ronald Derby said the “sky is the limit” for this Denver Broncos defense in 2021.

But outside linebacker Malik Reed said on Thursday that his expectations of the unit, and himself, in 2021 reach beyond the sky.

“I won’t put a ceiling on us because there’s no limit to what we can accomplish as a defense in this league,” Reed said.

Reed, who had a career-high and team-high 8.0 sacks in 2020, said he’s put that same expectation on himself this season as well.

“It’s really going for it all. No limits. Never put a limit,” Reed said. “There’s no limit to what God can do, so I never put a limit on what he can do through me.”

Both Reed and defensive end Dre’Mont Jones pointed out this week that Bradley Chubb and Von Miller being healthy and on the field for the first time since 2018 serves to raise all boats in the Broncos pass rush.

“Because of their name and what they’ve done, they’ll make it really easy for me to get those opportunities to get one-on-one matchups on the guards and centers when my time comes to be able to win,” Jones said Wednesday after OTAs. “The focus is going to be on them. Them being out there together, (there’s) a lot of money to be made.”

Having more pass rushers is a “good problem to have,” Reed said, and that the “better your overall pass rush is, the better your overall defense is.”

“That’ll create a rise in numbers for everybody around the board. I’m excited to get going,” Reed said. “The more pass rushers you have, the better you are.”

Reed also touted the Broncos additions in the secondary — drafting Pat Surtain II and signing free agents Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby — saying that coverage and pass rushing go “hand-in-hand.”

“We help each other out. The better the rush is up front, the more they can play free on the backend and the more they can take their opportunities when they come,” Reed said. “In the same way with the coverage — the tighter they play and the more they’re able to cover up the other guys on the other side of the field, the more time we have to get back there to the quarterback.”

And with all the firepower on defense heading into the 2021, Reed says the Broncos are focused on ending a string of four losing seasons and five years missing out on the postseason.

“We take this very seriously. This is something we put our all into and we put our heart into everything we do every time we step in here,” Reed said. “It’s a constant of talking about how do we get there and how do we take that next step? What do we need to change to push us over the top? What are the teams that are consistently successful — what are they doing? What do we need to do differently?

“It’s amazing to see.”