Mark J. Rebilas – USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Broncos are transitioning to a new coaching staff that will bring some major changes to the offensive and defensive philosophy of the team. That will bring some changes in roles and positions for certain players to put them in the best spot possible to find success. For second-year defensive back Bradley Roby, that should mean a move to safety for the 2015 season.
Roby was one of the few rookies on the Broncos to make an impact in 2014, emerging as the team’s nickel corner and playing in about 75 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. He finished the year with 65 tackles, 13 passes defended, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles, proving that he had quickly picked up on how to play the game at an NFL level.
As a result, the coaching wants to find a way to get Roby on the field more often in 2015, including into the base defense. That isn’t likely to happen as a cornerback as the team is set on the edges by Pro Bowlers Chris Harris, Jr., and Aqib Talib. Barring injury, Roby isn’t going to supplant either of these seasoned veterans for the starting corner position, so his expanded role will have to come somewhere else in the defense.
With the departure of Rahim Moore via free agency to the Houston Texans, Denver has a vacancy to fill in the secondary as free safety. While it’s not Roby’s natural position, to be sure, he has a lot of the tools necessary to be successful; he tackles in space, covers well, and has great athleticism to account for a lot of ground in the deep middle of the field.
By putting Roby into the safety spot, Denver would effectively be putting their best defensive backs on the field, maximizing their athleticism and playmaking ability. Roby, alongside TJ Ward, playing behind Harris and Talib would create one of the most talented secondaries in the NFL, provided that the second-year player picked up on the nuances of the position this offseason.
This move would maximize the talent of a deep secondary for Denver in 2015 that is lacking a true star at free safety right now. When the team moves into their nickel or dime packages, Roby would be available to shift down into coverage with one of the other defensive backs, like the versatile Omar Bolden for example, rotating in to man the safety spot.
Getting Roby up to speed at the safety position during offseason workouts would create a multitude of possibilities for new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. It would allow the Denver defense to become more versatile in the looks they present to opposing offenses while not sacrificing their athleticism or coverage. It gets their best defenders on the field at the same time and allows the Broncos’ defense to really take it to the next level in 2015.
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