Last year, the Denver Broncos went into the season with Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson as their starting safeties. Caden Sterns was listed as a co-starter with Jackson, but he suffered a torn patellar tendon in Week 1. That injury left P.J. Locke, Delarrin Turner-Yell and JL Skinner as the team’s backup safeties in 2023.
Simmons played at his typical Pro Bowl level in 2023, but Jackson served two suspensions and was eventually released. Locke ended up starting eight games as a fill-in starter last season.
After parting ways with Jackson late in the 2023 season and releasing Simmons this spring, Denver signed Brandon Jones during free agency. Jones has been starting across from Locke this year, and they have been a dynamic safety duo for the Broncos.
Jones has recorded 79 tackles, two interceptions, five pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery through 11 games.
“We’re better overall on the backend at that position than we were a year ago,” coach Sean Payton said of the safety positon. “We’ve played a few different guys back there, but I like how we’re playing. We’re communicating. Our guys on defense, Vance [Joseph] and Jim Leonhard and all those guys are doing a fantastic job. We’re definitely I would say further along, and it was a good performance by those guys [Sunday].”
Denver’s backup safeties behind Jones and Locke are Devon Key and Skinner. Payton clearly feels that the Jones-Locke-Key-Skinner combination is better than the Simmons-Jackson-Locke-Turner-Yell rotation from last year. (Jackson, as one might expect, disagreed with that assessment.)
Jones and Locke will look to build on their impressive campaign when the Broncos host the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 13.
