GM George Paton Reviews LB Kenny Young's Broncos Debut: 'He's Got a Lot of Juice'

The construction of an NFL roster means building from the bottom up, and while the Los Angeles Rams might be putting the finishing touches on their Christmas tree by acquiring Von Miller, the Denver Broncos are still cultivating their own. 

Moves made at the bottom of the roster might not appeal that much to the fans, but given the time needed to sink roots, they can make all the difference in assembling a solid, winning team.

Remember, Broncos' GM George Paton is still in his first year on the job. That being said, trading a franchise icon like Miller, through the prism of hindsight, had better be the right move. Otherwise, Paton risks being remembered as the man who traded away a future Hall-of-Fame superstar.

New Broncos' linebacker Kenny Young is one of Paton’s recent moves borne out of the current injury crisis. Conspiracy theorists within the ranks of Broncos Country would even go as far as to suggest it was a salary cap move to enable the subsequent trade of Miller. 

On Sunday vs. the Washington Football Team, though, Young brought some desperately needed athleticism to the second level of the Broncos' defense and, perhaps most importantly, injected some added 'juice' to a heretofore energy-deficient unit. At least, that's how Paton viewed Young's debut in the Orange and Blue. 

“We just think we needed—obviously we had injuries," Paton said on Tuesday following the NFL trade deadline. "At one point in the Cleveland game, we were down eight linebackers. That’s not favorable. Obviously watching [ILB] Kenny Young, this guy has a lot of juice, and I feel like we need a little more juice. He can run, he’s athletic."

Young’s greatest challenge will be to dispose of the notion that he was just a makeweight in a deal for a legendary player, but Paton is insistent that the linebacker was brought in because he was always a productive player.

"The Sunday before we traded for him, I think he had seven tackles, a sack, and a TFL [tackle for a loss]," Paton said. "If you watched him the other day, he does cause some disruption. He can run and he’s going to keep getting better."

With 39 snaps on defense, Young played 56% of Denver's defensive snaps in Week 8. He finished with four combined tackles (one solo). Not impressive stats by any means but his energy and intensity, to say nothing of his speed, was palpable. 

It sounds like Young has been earmarked to become a cornerstone within Paton’s grander scheme to reconstruct the Broncos' roster with youth and speed as its core foundations. In order for that to happen, at some point, it will be incumbent upon Paton to tap the 25-year-old on the shoulder and ask him to climb the stairs to his office. 

Like Miller, Young is in a contract year. But unlike the eight-time Pro Bowler, Young's future trip upstairs to talk to the boss could be to come to terms on a contract extension that would keep the linebacker in the building beyond 2021. That is, if he continues to grow and builds on his Broncos debut.