Will Parks‘ teammates call him “Philly”, a nickname that’s both a reflection of where he’s from and how his old neighborhood in north Philadelphia continues to shape the Broncos defensive back today.

On Sunday in Houston, Parks will wear cleats promoting Philadelphia CeaseFire as part of the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” initiative. For the fourth-year pro, the skyrocketing gun violence in Philadelphia — the city had 353 homicides in 2018, the most in more than a decade, and is on pace to surpass that in 2019 — is raw and close to home.

It’s personal for Parks, whose focus and work ethic enabled him to rise above the distractions that came with being a star football player at Germantown High School. And he believes he now needs to use his platform — shoes and all — to help spark change.

“It was definitely hard to stay focused in Philly growing up, especially playing football and always being a target,” Parks said. “I had to take two public transportation buses to go to practice every day. The stop for the first bus was outside of my high school, and you didn’t know if you were going to get robbed, stabbed, killed, or shot at in broad daylight at 3 o’clock.

“That was what was going on every day and it’s still going on. I have to do whatever I can to help change that culture.”

Parks’ first experience with gun violence came at seven years old, when his mother’s boyfriend was shot and killed. He’s been touched by gun violence tragedies in Philadelphia many times since, including last August, when his uncle was fatally shot in a robbery.

So, Parks’ emergence from such chaos into the high-energy, smiley teammate he is today says plenty about the streets he was molded from. Parks demonstrates a consistent demeanor of gratefulness for his football journey that took him from that unsafe bus stop to the University of Arizona, where he became team captain, and then to the Broncos.

This season, the 2016 6th-round pick (No. 219 overall) has continued to operate as the team’s defensive Swiss Army Knife in the first year of coach Vic Fangio‘s scheme.

“He can play nickel as you saw him play last week, he can play safety as you’ve seen him do some for us,” Fangio said. “And he can play the dime position, which is very similar to the nickel position. He does like playing football and he’s a good guy to have on your team.”

Parks will again be at the nickel this Sunday at NRG Stadium as the Broncos secondary faces a test against Texans quarterback DeShaun Watson. He realizes not being settled into one set position has made his ascension into an NFL household name harder, but he’s more concerned with “trying to invent a new position” than with watercooler clout.

“Like I say, the best ability is availability, and if I’m always available to switch it up and play different positions at any given moment, I’m not going to pout about it,” Parks said. “I look forward to that and embrace that kind of challenge.”

As Parks explained, he considers any assignment within his wheelhouse as he’s had 20 total tackles and a sack in 10 games this year (four starts) while missing two games with a broken hand.

“I want to be that guy who can line up on the No.1 guy, whether it’s a tight end or receiver or a running back out of the backfield; be able to line up inside as a dime backer; be able to hit A, B or C gaps,” Parks said. “I want to be able to play back there in the post (at safety), learning how to read quarterback keys and how to not be looked off; playing corner and learning how to deal with all the double moves. All that stuff I’m capable of doing consistently.”

Parks’ rookie deal is up at the end of the season, and it’s up in the air as to whether he returns to Denver in 2020. The Broncos also must look at re-signing other key pieces of the defensive backfield this offseason in safety Justin Simmons and cornerback Chris Harris.

But for now, Parks’ teammates recognize the integral part he plays in the locker room and on the field. Parks keeps it loose, but also brings an all-football, all-the-time mindset backed up by countless hours in the film room.

“I’ve seen a lot of growth in him, because rookie Phil was definitely a lot different than current Phil,” linebacker Todd Davis said. “When he’s out there, he’s makes plays consistently this year, and that’s because of the preparation and growth he’s put in and made happen.”

Will Parks be able to make an impression in the final four games of a contract year, even with the club he’s played with on his left hand since returning to action in Week 11 in Minnesota?

“He always rises to the occasion,” safety Kareem Jackson said.