Is Justin Hollins the answer at inside linebacker for the Broncos?

The Broncos practices continue during training camp, as the regular season is now less than three weeks away. During the last week, the Broncos have sustained multiple injuries that are seriously challenging their depth – especially with only 80 players on the roster and not 90 players like most seasons.

On position in particular, inside linebacker, has been hard hit by the injury bug. Starter Todd Davis is missing time with a calf injury – just like he did last year – and the timetable for his return is unknown. The Broncos had a rookie in Justin Strnad who was competing for a potential starting job opposite of Alexander Johnson, but now he has to undergo wrist surgery and will miss the entire season.

That means the Broncos are going to have to get creative with what they do at the position. This is why they’ve moved outside linebacker Justin Hollins to the inside during practice on Monday.

Broncos head coach Vic Fangio was initially succinct when asked about the news after practice.

“Yeah, we moved him there today. That’s where he worked exclusively today,” Fangio said.

So, is Hollins the answer the Broncos have been looking for at inside linebacker? Let’s take a look.

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Already Experienced

As a rookie in 2019, Hollins was able to get on the field for the Broncos as an inside linebacker. He played 14 games, 268 snaps and finished the year with 12 tackles, 1.0 sack and two passes defensed. Most of those snaps were on the inside, even though Hollins was a pass-rusher in college.

Hollins was an edge player in college at Oregon, and I had him graded as a third-round prospect after I saw him perform well and win Defensive MVP at the East-West Shrine Game. I felt the Broncos got a value pick when they were able to add Hollins in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

I never projected Hollins to play on the inside, as he’s got intriguing ability as someone who can get pressure on the quarterback. Hollins is tall, he has a large wingspan and he has good burst when getting to the passer. Those traits can work well rushing the passer, but they also can work on the inside as a coverage player. That burst can help Hollins stay with tight ends across the middle of the field and that length can aid him when attempting to bat passes away.

Fangio admits that the initial plan for 2020 was to keep Hollins on the outside.

“We were originally planning on leaving him at outside in this camp with the thought of knowing that he might be able to play inside some particularly in nickel in the back of our mind. Now with the injuries that we’ve had at inside linebacker, it has kind of forced our hands to do that a little earlier. You never know. It could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Justin and for us. We’re not putting him in there just because we need somebody in there. He’s a guy that has a chance in there. Sometimes when you’re forced to do something both as a coaching staff or as a player it ends up being a blessing. I’m hoping that’s what happens here,” Fangio said.

Hollins has great versatility but he’s still a work in progress at the position.

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Walker or Langley 2.0?

The Broncos have moved defensive players around before with mixed results. When thinking about players who have transitioned to different positions with the Broncos, DeMarcus Walker and Brendan Langley come to mind. Langley is out of the league, while Walker is still with the Broncos entering the final year of his rookie contract.

Coming out of tiny Lamar College, Langley was a bit of a surprise pick in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Langley had played wide receiver in college at Georgia before transferring to Lamar. While there, Langley transitioned to the defensive side of the ball.

The Broncos picked him up as a cornerback, but he failed to make much of an impact. Langley was then moved to the wide receiver position in 2019, but did not make the 53-man roster. He was signed to the Seahawks practice squad for a couple of weeks earlier this year, but is now a free agent.

Walker was a second-round pick out of Florida State in the 2017 NFL Draft. He was considered a bit of a ‘tweener as a prospect since he was too small to play defensive end (his college position) and too big to play outside linebacker.

The Vance Joseph coaching staff decided to have Walker lose weight to play outside linebacker and stand up to rush the passer. That didn’t work, so in his second season, Walker gained the weight back to play defensive end. He didn’t do much that year, either. But when Fangio was put in charge, we saw Walker play much better and last year he was a quality reserve player for the Broncos.

While the move for Langley failed, the move for Walker failed too. Moving Walker back to defensive end was the right move. Hollins is an edge player, so we’ll have to see if his move to inside linebacker – perhaps on a full-time basis – works out better than Walker or Langley.

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Much Work Needed

Hollins is far from a finished product on the inside. He’s barely played at the position and has to think about the game in a whole different way. Rushing the passer, Hollins can see ball, get ball. On the inside, he has to be more disciplined in the way he attacks the ball-carrier so he doesn’t over run the play.

Hollins has the length to work well in coverage, but that is not his only responsibility on the inside. He has to improve as a run-defender. Hollins is a tall prospect, so getting low to take on shorter running backs is something he needs to work on.

Fangio did open up on Monday to comment on how Hollins did during his first day of practicing at inside linebacker this year.

“We’ll see. This was his first day there. It wasn’t a normal practice day as far as training camp goes. He does have good recall. He’s a smart guy. He recalls the stuff he was learning last year at that position. I think we’ll find out if he’s grown at all and is a guy capable of that. He does have some good length. He can run. He’s just got to learn to play with more explosiveness and decisiveness because things happen quicker and more things happen at inside linebacker,” Fangio said.

Hollins is known as a hard worker, and there is still much to be done before the Broncos can rely on him as more than a part-time player. We’ll see if he can improve and get ready for a larger role at inside linebacker in 2020.

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