Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders: 3 players to watch

Vontaze Burfict

There is a lot of uncertainty when it comes to the linebacker group going into the season, and a lot of trust is being placed on Vontaze Burfict to lead that group.

We all know about his relationship with defensive coordinator Paul Guenther from their time in Cincinnati but how much does he have left?

Over the past few seasons, Burfict has dealt with shoulder and hip injuries along with multiple concussions (two last December). Add to the fact that he was never known for his athleticism, and it’s going to be interesting to see if he can still hold up in the middle.

He probably won’t be in during the Raiders nickel packages this season, but against an offense like the Broncos, he could be a significant factor. Rich Scangarello is the offensive coordinator in Denver, and he comes from the Shanahan tree so Burfict could really be tested.

Burfict can hold up run wise against the 21 and 12 personnel sets but will he be able to move well enough in space off play action is the key.

There isn’t much depth at the linebacker position, so he, along with Tahir Whitehead, Nicholas Morrow, and Marquel Lee, need to be able to hold up all four quarters.

The issues in coverage by this unit killed the Raiders in 2018, and the same questions seem to linger going to 2019.