Boardregeln » The Vic Fangio defense needs a competent plugger

. Hankins could be just the man for the job."With the NFL Combine completed Womens John Elway Jersey , we are now looking towards free agency as the legal tampering period opens up next week. As of now the reports suggest Elway and the Broncos do not plan to resign Domata Peko before free agency opens. That means Derek Wolfe, Adam Gotsis, and Shelby Harris are the only defensive lineman with real experience on the roster. None of the 3 neatly fit into the profiles of most of the nose tackles Vic Fangio has employed over the years, so expect Denver to turn over some stones for one.ProfileSBNation.comTwo weeks ago Benjamin Allbright broke the story that the Broncos intend to pursue Johnathan Hankins.Hankins was a second-round pick by the New York Giants in the 2013 NFL Draft. The 27-year old will be entering hsi 7th season in the NFL and has a reputation for being an uppier tier run defender. Pro Football Focus has Hankins ranked as their 10th best free agent interior defensive lineman. Why this makes senseIn 2017 Hankins was considered one of the 25 best interior run defenders in football who once played well enough to earn a 3-year $27 million deal from the Indianapolis Colts. Last year he went to Oakland and still performed admirably on one of the weakest defenses in the league. Hankins is strong at the point of attack. If you look back at Fangio’s nose tackles over his recent history as defensive coordinator, names like Eddie Goldman and Isaac Sopoaga are the memorable nose tackles. Both have comparable profiles to Hankins 6’2 320 lbs.When you watch recent Raider and Colts tape, it’s apparent that Hankins’ a scheme fit as some of his best plays happen to come from a nose shade, which is the role he’d serve when Fangio uses the base 3-4 defense against heavier fronts with two tight ends or backs. Hankins is also younger and more explosive than the departing Peko was in 2018. While he’ll never be confused for Aaron Donald, the former Raider would be an upgrade against the pass. Lastly, his cost is unlikely to be exorbitant and would free the front office from needing to select a nose tackle prospect in the draft unless the value is there. Why it doesn’t make senseHe may eat all of the donuts?No, but for real this move makes too much sense on paper. If the Broncos decide against it it will be due to monetary reasons as I doubt the team throws big money at a free agent tackle. If someone else pays funny money to Hankins he won’t come to Denver.Final thoughtsWhile moves like this barely move the needle in the offseason, it’s often small upgrades at the margins that make a difference between 6 wins and 7, 7 and 8 Bradley Chubb Broncos Jersey , etc. The 2018 version of Hankins was a vastly superior player to Domata Peko and the Broncos would be lucky to add him to their defensive line rotation. Zach Kerr provides the kind of flexibility with depth that should make the Denver Broncos defensive line a special group in 2019." Denver Broncos Roster2019 Broncos roster review: Defensive lineman Zach KerrNew,6commentsZach Kerr provides the kind of flexibility with depth that should make the Denver Broncos defensive line a special group in 2019.MDTThe Denver Broncos have found their inside anchors on the defensive line with Shelby Harris and Zach Kerr. The two have proven to be solid contributors for this defense. Kerr, who is entering his sixth season, is an outstanding rotational player on defense. For the big men up front, that depth cannot be understated. Zach Kerr ProfileHeight: 6-2 | Weight: 334 pounds | Age: 28College: Delaware | Experience: Sixth SeasonWhen the Broncos re-signed Kerr to a two-year deal in March, he said both defensive line coach Bill Kollar and the thought of playing in Vic Fangio’s defense were things that drew him back to Denver. The goodThe Broncos can expect Kerr to be a run-stuffing force up front. He has also been known to push the middle a bit in the pass rush. He has gotten better with each season in the league, too. In 2018, he started out playing just 30% of the defensive snaps, but saw that role grow to 45% by seasons end. He finished with 52 tackles, four pass defenses, and a forced fumble and recovery to go along with one and a half sacks.The badLast year, the biggest concern around Kerr was his ability to stay healthy having never finished a full season without missing time. He had also never played more than 30% of the snaps in any of his first four seasons. In 2018 Von Miller Jersey White , he obliterated both narratives by staying healthy all season and having a much larger role on defense.QuotableShelby Harris was asked about what he told Kerr in free agency. The two have built a solid chemistry on the defensive line and Harris pulled out all the stops to get Kerr to pick Denver. “Stay here. That’s my dog. I said, ‘Don’t leave me, man. What are you going to do?’ At the end of the day I really felt like we had something really special going on here. I was like, Zach you really should be a part of this. With Zach’s skill set that adds a whole other dynamic to our D-line because Zach’s the same type of player I feel like as me. He can play nose. He can play end and can rush the passer and stop the run. The more good players you have on your D-line, the better your defense will be because everything is one in the trenches pretty much. If we have dogs on the D-line and good players on the D-line, we can win up front every game.”Zach Kerr highlightsInstead of a highlight, I found this tweet from NBC of a photo taken after a Zach Kerr sack that was turned into an actual painting. Zach Kerr’s roster status with the BroncosI think its obvious that Kerr is a lock to make the final 53-man squad. He and Shelby Harris should provide the defense with the kind of versatility that Fangio will love, so I don’t see any way (outside of injury) that these two are not major factor’s in 2019. With the amount of investment John Elway has made in the defense this year, I think it is a safe to assume that many of the key veterans that remain on the roster today will be major contributors under Vic Fangio.