Shaquil Barrett has come a long way since last season. Undrafted out of Colorado State in 2014, Barrett essentially red-shirted his rookie season on the Denver Broncos practice squad.
He spent a very short time on the active roster late in the year, but saw no playing time on defense. A lot has changed since then.
Now, with starting right outside linebacker, DeMarcus Ware, likely to miss the Broncos Week 6 throwdown in Cleveland, Barrett has been tapped to start in his place.
“Shaq played well in preseason, showed us he could play and that's why we gave him some snaps during the season to let him play and see if he could carry that over," defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said Thursday.