A fire has been burning inside of JL Skinner.
It was ignited when the Broncos safety spent most of his rookie season on the bench. And the flames have grown even larger since the start of training camp. As Skinner gears up for his sophomore campaign, he doesn’t want to be a bystander. He wants to be a contributor in the Broncos’ secondary, and with his length and ball skills, he has a chance to do so.
“You can tell (Skinner) is much more confident,” safety P.J. Locke said. “He’s trusting himself (and) seeing things before they happen. I’m excited for JL because he can play.”
Skinner said he feels healthier and more comfortable with the defense compared to this time last year. Ahead of the 2023 NFL draft, Skinner suffered a torn pectoral muscle, hurting his draft stock. The former Boise State safety was selected by the Broncos in the sixth round despite being considered a potential third- or fourth-round choice.
The injury presented a challenge for Skinner, who didn’t get any reps during rookie minicamp and OTAs due to rehab from his injury. Skinner would eventually make the 53-man roster but rarely touched the field. He had nine snaps on special teams and one on defense in two games while inactive for the other 15 contests.
“It builds a fire in somebody when they are not able to play,” Skinner told The Denver Post. “It was a learning experience for me.”
While Skinner was on the sidelines, he used each day of practice to prove that he could still be a valuable asset to the team down the road. Broncos head coach Sean Payton noticed growth in Skinner’s game, as he was a player who stood out on the practice tape.
When the regular season ended, Skinner kept grinding. He didn’t take a vacation, instead spending the majority of the offseason in Denver, bouncing between Landow Performance, a training center in Centennial, and the team’s facility. Skinner would spend his days running, lifting and performing defensive back drills.
“I wasn’t satisfied (about last season),” Skinner said. “I’d take a weekend and go somewhere, but I still had workouts planned.”
Skinner’s hunger for an increased role might be sated this fall. The departure of veteran Justin Simmons in March left the Broncos without a playmaker at safety. Skinner, however, possesses that trait. At Boise State, the 6-foot-4 defensive back totaled seven interceptions and 15 passes defended. He totaled a career-best four picks as a senior in 2022.
Denver’s depth at safety also presents an opportunity for Skinner to make an impact in Year 2. Brandon Jones was out last week due to a hamstring injury, while Delarrin Turner-Yell is still rehabbing from a torn ACL, which he suffered near the end of 2023. Even though Caden Sterns has been practicing, he hasn’t done a ton of teamwork. Denver has been cautious because of his season-ending knee injury in Week 1 of last season.
Since Jones has been out, Skinner has taken a fair amount of first-team reps alongside Locke and has flashed a few times. On Saturday, Skinner made a nice stop on running back Samaje Perine near the goal line during the team period.
“(I) don’t take this for granted (because) you can be out of this league any day,” Skinner said. “(I want to) continue to get better every day.”
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