One Broncos starter wants to go from undrafted to the Pro Bowl

Which two players are going to be the Broncos inside linebackers in 2022? That was one of the key questions heading into training camp, as it’s been for many years.

The team once again seemed to ignore the position in free agency and the draft. Instead, they chose to roll with the incumbents on the roster.

Most of the attention on that front fell on Josey Jewell, a fifth-year pro who was picked in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft by Denver. Little attention was paid to the player penciled in next to him in the Broncos starting lineup, as little was known of Jonas Griffith.

But the 25-year-old linebacker is turning heads just three days into camp. And he sat down with “Stokley and Zach” on Friday to talk about his progress.

“I bring energy to the defense,” Griffith said when asked how he fits in. “I feel like I can fly around. I can do coverage. I can be physical. I can play downhill, make tackles and I feel like my smarts get overlooked.”

That’s a skill set that has been missing since Super Bowl 50. The Broncos haven’t had inside linebacker who brought that combo to the field since Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall.

“There’s also a lot I can work on,” the linebacker added. “Every day, there’s things that I try to take out to the field and pinpoint on things that need to improve, just small little details.”

He has a motivation to master his craft.

“It’ll never be a complete, but it’s just chasing that greatness,” Griffth said.

It’s an approach that has helped the linebacker go from Indiana State to the NFL, but it hasn’t been easy. He signed as an undrafted free agency in 2020 with the 49ers, moved on to the Colts, returned to San Francisco and was then traded to the Broncos last season. In 2021, he played in 13 games, starting four, and played well, racking up 46 combined tackles.

It was enough for the Broncos front office to believe in him. But it was a route that leaves the linebacker motivated to this day.

“I feel like it’ll never leave my shoulder,” Griffith said of playing for Indiana State in the Missouri Valley Conference. “Even when I got to the NFL, I was still kind of under recruited. I only played one year of high school football.”

Thus, he was overlooked. But in college he blossomed, recording 382 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss, 14.0 sacks, three interceptions, nine passes defensed four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in 44 games. He finished his career with the Sycamores with six All-American honors, tied for the most in school history.

“I was a hooper,” Griffith explained when asked why he got the late start in football. “My parents are kind of religious. Football and basketball, both them together, took up too much time. I had to pick one and I was a hooper. Kentucky, you know.”

The Louisville native finally got his chance during his final year at The Academy at Shawnee.

“I always wanted to play football, but never really had the opportunity to play both,” the linebacker added. “Then my senior year, I had the opportunity to play and it was a blessing.”

It’s been one ever since. Now, Griffith is looking for more. He has lofty goals for the 2022 season.

“I have a lot of them and I wrote them down the beginning of the season,” Griffith explained. “Definitely, to be a starter this year. Individually, I want to be a Pro Bowler man. I want to be All-Pro. I want to help the team as much as possible.”

So far, so good. Perhaps the most-anonymous starter on the Broncos roster heading into camp, Jonas Griffith is emerging as a key player on a new-look team.

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