Teddy: LB Kenny Young Approached Broncos With 'Standards Need to be Raised' Mindset

They say necessity is the mother of invention and when it comes to the breakneck rebuild of the Denver Broncos' depleted roster, in the case of GM George Paton, the old maxim is accurate. After losing both starting inside linebackers — Josey Jewell and Alexander Johnson — to season-ending injuries, Paton's hand was forced to make some moves in order to right the ship. 

At the time, Denver's low-cost trade with the Los Angeles Rams for starting linebacker Kenny Young seemed appeared to be a solid move, given the circumstances, but after back-to-back impressive outings in the Orange and Blue, the 25-year-old is rapidly exceeding all previous expectations.

What Young has managed to provide since arriving in the Mile High City is high-octane fuel to the Broncos' depleted fuel tanks. Fans were given some evidence of Young’s infectious personality when he enthusiastically gate-crashed Teddy Bridgewater’s on-field interview after Denver's huge 30-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9. 

Bridgewater was full of praise for how his new teammate approaches the game when he held court with local media on Wednesday.

“Kenny—he’s just a guy who loves ball. He has a football DNA with his upbringing,” Bridgewater said. “He has some brothers who played ball as well. You watch film—it’s just his energy and his mindset.”

Young’s performances have spoken to his deep football education and he has acquitted himself as a pro in the wake of what was a shocking trade at the time. He saw himself jettisoned from a Super Bowl contender straight to an injury-ravaged team in the midst of a four-game losing streak. 

For a less focused pro, it would have been easy to check out and wait for next season’s free agency window, but Young has stepped up to the plate and is already becoming a leader by example in the locker room according to Bridgewater.

“He’s been in places that have had success. He knows what it should look like and things like that,” Bridgewater said. “He’s a guy who comes in with the mindset that the standard needs to be raised. He’s only been here a couple of weeks. To have a guy like that on the team—and then he’s making plays on Sundays. You can’t do anything but root for a guy like him. He’s a guy who I’ve connected with over the past couple of weeks.”

Broncos Country is still mourning the loss of Von Miller to the Rams, but Young’s solid play and high energy levels are cushioning the blow. There is now no hiding the fact that Paton views what he is doing as a full-on youth movement but that’s a badge Young, Bridgewater, and company are happy to wear while the Broncos are winning.