Good film on Dorian O'Daniel showing mistakes and clear ability too

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Inside linebacker Dorian O’Daniel continues to flash, but still needs work

O’Daniel saw significant snaps for the second game in a row, this time without the “garbage-time” help. And once again, he made an impact against opposing running backs.

Both of these plays came in the fourth quarter, and the first in particular was crucial. The Broncos faced 3rd and 2 from their own 20-yard line with around six minutes remaining in the game. The Chiefs held a 10-point lead, and this was a down the Broncos absolutely needed. They went with a swing pass to the outside, which makes sense given the short yardage required. However, O’Daniel shows his closing speed and finishing ability, stuffing the play for a loss.

O’Daniel’s ability to finish was crucial on this play, as the Broncos may have been in fourth-down territory if they faced 4th and short. However, by causing a two-yard loss on the play, O’Daniel forced a much more daunting 4th and 4. This play was arguably the final nail in the coffin of Denver’s chances to come back.

The second play wasn’t as crucial, but it demonstrates O’Daniel’s ability to do more than just cover swing passes. O’Daniel is playing in man coverage on the running back, and he stays squared up and patiently waits for the route to develop. Broncos quarterback Case Keenum sees what he thinks is a lot of space and hits the back in the flat. O’Daniel again shows his fantastic closing speed and hits the runner immediately, crucially keeping him in bounds.

O’Daniel was asked to do a bit more Sunday, and he generally performed well. He did have a few moments in which he revealed his rookie nature in coverage mixups, but was never exploited and recovered quickly. He also played man coverage on the tight end a few times and acquitted himself well.

What keeps O’Daniel from grabbing a full-time role, even with Anthony Hitchens injured, will likely be his size. He was washed out of a few plays Sunday, simply unable to create leverage against much bigger offensive linemen.

O’Daniel just isn’t strong enough to hold his ground in these situations. But he’s feisty and willing to put up a fight, which is promising. He’s going to need good protection from the defensive line, and he’ll have to continue to develop his recognition and work on avoiding blockers before they can reach him.

Despite his smaller size, O’Daniel hasn’t been less effective than the other inside ‘backers against the run this season, and he’s willing to take on blockers and do his part to plug holes.

While this play doesn’t end in a win for the defense, that’s not necessarily on O’Daniel. He takes on the blocker and fills the hole. While he gets driven back by the combined weight of the blocker and the running back, the result of this play is likely quite different if cornerback Orlando Scandrick throws himself into the play rather than staying back. The fact that O’Daniel puts himself in the right spot (albeit a second later than is ideal) is promising.

O’Daniel is appears perfect for shoring up some glaring weaknesses on defense with his closing speed and coverage ability. Given the problem the defense has had against the run regardless, he has done enough in limited action to earn a shot at showing he can take on a bigger role, undersized or not.