Training Camp Breakdown – Defensive End

Elvis Dumervil sacks Oakland QB Andrew Walter. Photo Courtesy

The defensive end position is the one I’m most excited about coming into the regular season – after years of struggles, we made so many moves across the defensive line that we may actually be able to mount a pass rush this year. The biggest move of all has to be the hiring of Assistant Coach/Defense Jim Bates, who has experience grooming some of the best defensive talent across the National Football League. With three young defensive ends coming from the past two years’ drafts, he’ll have all the clay he’d like to mold.

Ebenezer Ekuban

Last week I said Gerard Warren would be the undisputed captain of the Browncos – if there were to be a co-captain, it would be Ebenezer Ekuban, who saw, far and away, a career high in tackles last year with one of his more impressive sack totals. Amassing 63 tackles last year (his career best before that was a mere 39), along with 7 sacks, demonstrated the versatility of this 6-4, 275 lbs. lineman. He’s the frontrunner for the starting job, and he’s even been moved inside to play defensive tackle on dime packages. If healthy, I expect him to play all through the season and into the playoffs.

John Engelberger

One of the bigger surprises at camp, this 6-4, 252 lbs. lineman has been working with the first unit all throughout practices. He has a solid work ethic, but he doesn’t typically have the size or flash Broncos fans want – as one of the smaller ends on the team, he doesn’t produce the pass rush you’d like. I, for one, am more than happy to see John Engelberger succeeding this year, and am rooting for him to make the team. If he keeps up his current pace, he’ll likely start the season opposite Ekuban, but I anticipate our first round pick this year to push for the starting job by mid-season.

Jarvis Moss

All of Denver waited with bated breath for the good news on Moss’ knee – with any luck he’ll be 100% by season’s start. I said all offseason long that I didn’t expect too much from our first round rookie Jarvis Moss this year in terms of run support – I, along with others, anticipated a more situational experience for Moss in pass rush situations. Well, he looks to be exceptional in his pass rush technique, beating Matt Lepsis several time during practice. The guy is a physical freak of nature at 6-6, 251 lbs., and if he can improve his run defense he could be a solid starter through the second half of the season and beyond. I’m now expecting big things from Jarvis Moss.

Tim Crowder

Originally I slated second round rookie Tim Crowder to be starting this season, but he hasn’t been turning heads the way Moss has and may find himself adding quality depth to our defensive line rotation, instead of starting there. At 6-4, 270 lbs., T-Crow is among the larger defensive ends on the team and will make his mark on the running game. With Jim Bates spreading the defensive line out a few steps, we’ll be relying on our big boys in the middle, along with guys like Crowder, to stop opposing running backs. He amassed 13.5 sacks in his last two years at Texas, showing he has the versatility to get to opposing quarterbacks as well – I like his future prospects but will be happy to see him on the field learning in year one.

Kenard Lang

The biggest loser this training camp has to be Kenard Lang, who has gone from likely starter to desperate for a roster spot. His sack total was decent at 6, but he had one of the lowest tackle totals of his 10-year total with a mere 36. When I think of Lang, I just remember the Ladainian Tomlinson play from last year – an admitted mismatch, to be sure, but I can’t get the image of LT catching the short pass against Lang’s coverage and taking it to the house out of my mind. He’s a mid-sized guy at 6-3 and 263 lbs., but he needs to step up his game or he risks being cut from this team.

Elvis Dumervil

The other disappointment this offseason has been the lack of news regarding Elvis Dumervil, whom I really expected to hear about in year two. He has a ton of work ethic and upside despite his small stature (the smallest of the Broncos defensive linemen at 5-11, 250), Dumervil silenced his critics with 8.5 sacks in 2006. Now he finds himself at the bottom of the Broncos depth chart. He’s always used his speed and knowledge of leverage to best his opponents, but with the line spread out Dumervil might need more power to deal with the focused blocking he’ll receive. He’ll make the team as one of the Broncos’ best passing threats, but unless things from camp change it looks like Dumervil will be disappointingly low on the depth chart to start the season.

Kenny Peterson

On Saturday, July 30, Kenny Peterson went to sleep as the first camp casualty and without a team to call home – the day before camp started at all. By the team he went to bed the next night, Peterson had played in the afternoon practices in Engelberg, Colorado in his second stint with his former team. Talk about an emotional and physical roller coaster. Peterson will have to work his butt off to make this team, especially considering his 4-game suspension hanging over his head for steroids. He has virtually no shot of the 53-man roster.

Predicted Depth Chart

1. Ebenezer Ekuban
2. Jarvis Moss
3. Tim Crowder
4. John Engelberger
5. Elvis Dumervil
6. Kenard Lang

Quite a surprising depth chart you see here, but if Moss can get over his knee injury and come on strong, I could see him trump Engelberger opposite Ekuban. I’m still pulling for T-Crow to pull through and impress a little more. I would feel extremely good about the depth and versatility of this defensive line – with an experienced veteran as your last backup and a ton of young talent in between, the Denver’s defense could be dominant this year.