If you remember, a few days ago the guys/gals over at Pro Football focus ranked the Denver Broncos front seven the best in the NFL. Well, today they ranked all 32 secondaries in the NFL and once again the Denver Broncos and their "No Fly Zone" secondary came out on top.
The @Broncos top PFF's ranking of all 32 NFL secondaries entering the 2016 season.
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) July 13, 2016
Full 1–32 list available now: https://t.co/d0kwsnZUpm
I mean, we already knew this but seeing others notice is always nice.
Here's what Matt Claassen of Pro Football Focus had to say about the Defending Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos shut down secondary.
1. Denver Broncos
Projected starters: CB Aqib Talib, CB Bradley Roby, SCB Chris Harris Jr., S T.J. Ward, S Darian Stewart
Other names to know: CB Kayvon Webster, CB Lorenzo Doss, S Shilo Keo, S Justin Simmons, S William Parks
Key stat: All five Denver starters ranked among the top 30 players in overall grade at their respective positions last season, the only team to do so.
Not only do the defending Super Bowl champions boast the top front-seven, but they also possess the league’s best secondary. Denver’s top three cornerbacks are the best trio of corners in the league, with all three finishing among the top 30 at the position in the NFL last season. Harris continues to be one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks, and excels in the slot. With Ward and Stewart at the safety positions, it’s tough for quarterbacks to find a weakness anywhere in the Broncos’ secondary.
The Broncos secondary has no weakness. As the article states, the Broncos have the best trio of corners in the league. Chris Harris Jr. is a top three corner in the league, Aqib Talib is a feisty veteran who will go nose to nose with anyone, and Bradley Roby is a rising star in this league.
Behind those three the Broncos have special teams ace Kayvon Webster and slot man Lorenzo Doss waiting in the wings for an opportunity, and that opportunity could present itself depending how Talib recovers from his injury.
As we know, Talib suffered a gunshot wound to leg this summer and is currently rehabbing that injury as Training Camp fast approaches. We know very little about Talib's prognosis, but it sounds like he escaped major injury and is just dealing with a simple flesh wound. It's unknown if he'll be ready for camp, but hopefully, he will be 100% very soon.
If not, I expect Roby to move outside and be the Broncos number two corner and Kayvon Webster and Lorenzo Doss would compete for the slot job. My money would be on Doss in this instance. He is perfect for the slot.
The safety position for the Broncos isn't as deep but has talent at the top and lots of potential behind it.
T.J. Ward is your hard-hitting, punishing box safety who does an excellent job in the run game. He is one of the Broncos emotional leaders in the secondary. Next to him is Darian Stewart who ended up being a huge addition to the Broncos secondary last season. He also is a hard-hitting safety who has very good cover skills. Those two give the Broncos a starting secondary without many holes.
How behind those two are potentially the Broncos future starters at safety. Third round pick Justin Simmons is a rangy free safety who has excellent ball skills. I think we'll see a lot of him his rookie year. Late round pick Will Parks is versatile and can do everything. I think he'll be the backup at strong safety this year.
Veteran Shiloh Keo could secure a roster spot if one or both of the rookies get off to a slow start in camp, or if the Broncos decide to keep five safeties on the roster. He's a solid special teams player, a good tackler, and just an all around solid depth piece.
The Broncos have the top ranked front seven AND secondary according to Pro Football Focus. This unit will continue to dominate and improve even more in 2016. They have lost some big pieces, but the young guys will continue to develop and they will continue to dominate.