Todd Davis emerged as a starter for the Broncos in 2016 and he has racked up tackles since then but he hasn’t been good enough in coverage. Last season, Alexander Johnson emerged as a starter next to Davis but he’s not quite good enough in coverage, either.
Johnson looks like a long-term solution at inside linebacker (maybe even as a direct replacement for Davis in the not too distant future) but Denver needs another linebacker to pair with Johnson who excels in coverage.
Justin Strnad, the team’s fifth-round draft pick, might be up for the job.
“I feel very comfortable in pass-coverage,” Strnad said during a conference call with reporters on April 25. “I played safety in high school, so it’s something I’ve been doing for a long time.”
Strnad was a play-making linebacker at Wake Forest, totaling 244 tackles (including 22.5 tackles for losses), eight sacks, four interceptions and 10 pass breakups. Playing in Vic Fangio’s defense, Strnad could develop into the kind of coverage linebacker the team has been missing.
“I think just continuing to work on man-to-man coverage — in college, we didn’t play too much man — so I think just continuing to work on my man-to-man skills and being able to match up on some tight ends and running backs will obviously be able to help,” Strnad said.
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