Saturday was the final countdown for the Broncos to trim their roster down to 53 players. In case you didn't know, and as I've mentioned in previous blogs, the Broncos have a knack for finding gems in UFAs (Undrafted Free Agents), and apparently, undrafted rookie Jamal Carter is no exception.
On a side note, despite a report I read stating that only five of the Broncos' drafted rookies made the roster, I checked to see that in fact, all of the guys they drafted did make the roster. Some were just placed on injured reversed (i.e. Carlos Henderson) or a variation of it (i.e. Jake Butt and Chad Kelly).
Moving along, living in Louisiana, I don't get to see the Broncos pre-season games. Rarely are their pre-season games shown on TV out here, so unfortunately, all I have access to is bits and pieces of highlights and hearsay from Broncos players, analysts, and reporters. Last week, I saw online where they were seeking to trade one of their defensive/No Fly Zone stalwarts and components, safety T.J. Ward.
As looked further into it, I read that the reason they were looking to trade him was because they're deep (which they are with Justin Simmons and Will Parks) at the safety position, and apparently with this undrafted rookie in Jamal Carter, whom I've heard they're very excited about, and have been using him as a ILB/S hybrid, the same way that the Arizona Cardinals use Deone Bucannon, which is funny, because one of his teammates compared him to Deone.
This caused my scouting antennas go up. I was able to get some tape on the Miami (University) alumnus. From what I saw, I could definitely see why they're using him the way they are because although he's built like a safety, he plays with the intensity and physicality of a linebacker. He delivers punishing hits at the line of scrimmage, and is good in pass coverage.
One thing about his game that I noticed is that he can be too much of a head-hunter and go for the big hit, instead of making a play on the ball. I await to see what this young man can do in a Broncos uniform. To make an understatement, they thought a lot of him to (eventually, due to not being able to make a trade) release "Boss" T.J. Ward.
Actually, there were other reasons, such as him turning the big 3-0. Typically, in professional sports, once a player turns 30-- a sign that a player's shelf life, so to speak, is deteriorating-- teams start to look at players sideways, and I believe he was in the last year of his contract.
At the end of the day, of course I hate to see T.J. go, but at the same time I like Simmons' credentials and his ability to plays all over the field, and Will Parks, who, to me, is a younger version of T.J. Ward. After checking their depth chart last night, Justin Simmons, as I expected, will be the starting strong safety. Again, I hate to see T.J. go, but I'm also looking forward to seeing what Justin can do in a full-time role.
