D.J. Williams may be going from third-down scrub to the league’s top five in tackles.
Who says coaching doesn’t make a difference in the NFL?
No Broncos player figures to benefit more from the change in defensive bosses than Williams.
Under defensive coordinator Larry Coyer, Williams was a first-round outside linebacker who spent the past two years running off the field on passing downs.
Coyer was replaced this offseason by Jim Bates, who moved Williams over to the middle linebacker position vacated by Al Wilson, who was released because of a neck injury.
The NFL draft came and went last weekend with the Broncos sending a loud message by not selecting an inside linebacker: In D.J. they trust.
“He’s excited about it and we feel very confident that D.J. can get the job done,” Bates said.
Not only is Williams going to become an every-down player for the first time since his rookie season of 2004, the history of Bates’ middle linebackers suggests he is about to record huge tackle numbers.
In Coyer’s scheme, Wilson made the Pro Bowl three of four years even though he never finished among the league’s top 26 in tackles.
In Bates’ last five seasons as the Dolphins’ coordinator, middle linebacker Zach Thomas never failed to finish among the top five in tackles, topping the NFL in 2002. Green Bay middle linebacker Nick Barnett ranked sixth with a career-high 139 tackles during his lone season with Bates in 2005.
“The mike linebacker in our scheme has to have a lot of mobility and speed, because we put a lot pressure on them,” Bates said.
Roster report
After signing former Texas running back Selvin Young, the Broncos waived Cedric Cobbs, a seldom-used tailback.
Young, an undrafted free agent, was an oft-used reserve tailback for the Longhorns the past two years. A strong, physical runner, the 5-foot-10, 207- pound Young wasn’t drafted primarily because he doesn’t possess great speed.
“We had mixed feelings,” said Young’s agent, Major Adams, who also represents Tennessee and former Texas quarterback Vince Young. “In one sense you want the honor of being drafted, but at the same time you want to go to a situation that’s going to be the best fit for a player. We picked Denver because the Broncos showed the most interest.”
Young rushed for 591 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior and also had 23 catches. The Broncos got to know Young in recent weeks because he has been in the area working out with Longhorns teammate Kasey Studdard at the Velocity Sports Performance Center. Studdard, of Highlands Ranch, was drafted in the sixth round by Houston and coach Gary Kubiak.
The release of Cobbs and death of Damien Nash mean the Broncos’ No. 3 running back behind starter Travis Henry and backup Mike Bell could be Young or Andre Hall, a second-year player from South Florida.
“We’re shooting for No. 2,” Adams said.
At this time last year, Cobbs was a strong candidate to replace Mike Anderson as the Broncos’ lead running back.
Cobbs never took off, though. Not during the Broncos’ off- season workouts, not when he muffed a kickoff late against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2 and not after he suffered an ankle injury in an ill-fated return.
