Next man up for the Broncos’ defense is the second man up. Jared Crick, a sixth-year defensive end the Broncos poached from the Houston Texans to add depth, on Tuesday stepped into a more urgent role.
Crick is now Denver’s presumptive starting defensive end after Vance Walker on Monday fell to a season-ending knee injury. Walker himself was a replacement, for Malik Jackson, who left in the offseason for Jacksonville.
“We’ve got guys who are capable of filling in roles,” said Crick, a 6-foot-4, 285-pound end. “Everybody has to take the mindset that any time of day, they can go in and play well.