Broncos Player Profile: Alexander Johnson | LB

The Denver Broncos were lucky when Alexander Johnson decided to sign with them back in 2018. He had multiple other teams interested but ultimately chose to come to Denver. 

While Johnson didn’t have much of an impact his first season, he did end up starting after four games in his second year. Once that happened, the Broncos’ defense stabilized against the run because Johnson is a very capable run defender. Not only can he avoid blocks to make a play, but he can also take on blockers, allowing another to make the tackle, or blow through blocks to get to the ball-carrier.

When it comes to Johnson's game, there is one big weakness and the Broncos defensive staff had to make changes to the scheme to cover for it. He is not good in coverage and is very limited in what he can do. 

When in coverage, Johnson was mainly kept in short and shallow zones which put more strain on others in coverage, primarily, fellow linebacker Josey Jewell.

There is also an issue coming with Johnson and that is his age and the fact that he'll be eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time after this season. He entered the NFL late and will turn 30 years old in December. 

That means Johnson will be hitting free agency for the first time in his career at the ripe age of 30 and that is going to make it extremely hard for teams to justify paying him. It's going to be interesting to see what happens because of his age, potential cost, and the fact that Jewell will also be a free agent.

Don't forget to check out the video above for a deep-dive on Johnson's 2021 outlook!