By Jordan Long
On Monday, the Denver Broncos lost a key member to their defense. Defensive end Vance Walker is expected to miss the season after tearing his ACL on his right knee. The injury happened when Walker was tangled up with offensive guard Max Garcia during team drills. How will this affect the Denver Broncos?
Walker appeared in 15 games last season and three playoff games for the Broncos. He had a total of 33 tackles and 2 sacks in the regular season. In the playoffs, he added five more tackles. The Broncos went on to win Super Bowl 50.
Walker was listed behind Malik Jackson on the depth chart. At the end of the year, Jackson decided to sign a six-year, $90 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jackson was important for the Broncos as he stopped the opponents run. The Broncos were hoping that Walker would take the place of Jackson. He was even taking first team repetitions in training camp.
According to Yahoosports.com Head Coach Gary Kubiak said, “We think the world of Vance and he was having a great camp. We’ll support him through his recovery, and he’ll come back stronger than ever.”
The Denver Broncos have options to replace Walker in the lineup. Those are Billy Winn, Adam Gotsis, and Lars Koht . Billy Winn is the most experienced of the three. Winn has appeared in 52 NFL games with the Cleveland Browns and the Indianapolis Colts. In those games he recorded 92 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions. Those are not bad numbers. For me, Winn must step up his game and show he can stop the run. If he can do that, then he might win the job.
The Broncos are high on Adam Gotsis. The Broncos drafted him in the second-round in this year’s NFL Draft. He is their future. It is time for Gotsis to show why the Broncos drafted him so high.
Lars Koht is also a rookie. He was undrafted. Koht needs to make an impression on the coaching staff to show he can replace Walker. If he can’t, the Broncos might be forced to cut him or sign him to the practice squad.
The Broncos are going to use the last three preseason games to find the replacement for Walker. The coaching staff will evaluate Billy Winn, Adam Gotsis, and Lars Koht. One of them should win the job. If the Broncos don’t like what they see, they could also trade for a defensive lineman or sign one through free agency. The Broncos have time to figure out who will start.
Who do you think should replace Vance Walker?
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