Amid a fully covered upper body of artwork, a large bold series of numbers on Shane Ray‘s right forearm screams the loudest. Each tattoo has a special meaning, Ray said, but 5600 best encapsulates who he is and where he’s going.

It represents the block he grew up on off 56th Street and College Avenue in the heart of Kansas City, Mo.’s 64130 ZIP code, an area known as the “Murder Factory.” That is Ray’s hood. He’s proud of it. It led to him wear No. 56.

There aren’t many success stories that come out of that area. Ray beat the odds, though anger and mischief defined his childhood.

“It’s what made me,” Ray said of his old neighborhood. “I wouldn’t be me without it. But I had to get out of there. I really don’t know what I would be doing if it wasn’t for football. It saved me.”

In his second season with the Broncos, his teammates and coaches say the outside linebacker’s biggest area of growth has been his maturity. He is emerging as the talented pass rushing complement to Von Miller that the Broncos envisioned when they drafted the former Missouri star in the first round in 2015. Now, he is seeking respect.

Sunday, he returns home to show the locals how far he has come as a player and a person. He was born in Kansas City, but he is being molded in Denver. He will spend the weekend home with plans to visit family, friends and others who helped get him out of the Murder Factory.

It’s why Ray won’t ever hide his back artwork, a collage of tattoos captioned “The Town” with Kansas City’s biggest staples — Gates’ BBQ, the Kansas City Royals, Sporting K.C. and the Chiefs, his favorite team growing up. He has heard the disdain of Broncos fans about the tattoos, but he tells them to hear his story before they criticize.

SHANE’S MY IDOL

Tuesdays usually are days off for the Denver players, who use them for recovery. Ray wasn’t listed on the injury report for Sunday’s game at Arrowhead Stadium, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t hurting. He wasn’t about to take a rest day though.

Ray and his mother, Sebrina Johnson, fought through rush-hour traffic Tuesday to arrive at Denver Rescue Mission by 5 p.m. to drop off several boxes and containers of shoes. They launched Shane’s Shoes program and Ray’s Awareness foundation on Monday to help low-income families in Denver and Kansas City. It’s the first two of many charitable initiatives mother and son want to plant and grow in the inner cities.

“When Shane was younger he used to say, ‘Mom, if I make it to the NFL, I’m going to give it back to the community. I’m going to do it in the hood,’ ” Johnson said. “He’s this fierce beast on the field, but Shane’s a gentle giant.”

After the shoe drop-off, Ray urged his mom to speed up. He had another stop to make at the Boys & Girls Club to play Madden 17 with an eager kid.

These are examples of the increased maturity the Broncos have raved about. It’s been a journey, Johnson admits. She raised Shane as a single mother because his father wasn’t around. That led to resentment, disappointment and anger at times during his development.

A year ago, his frustrations were for a different reason. Ray had defensive rookie-of-the-year goals but ended the season with only four sacks. He was relying too much on pure speed-rush techniques he utilized at Missouri that helped him earn Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year honors as a junior, after which he declared for the draft.

But in Denver, the complexity of the NFL game meant Ray couldn’t find that sort of success against more skilled offensive linemen. Ray found himself playing behind not only Miller and DeMarcus Ware, but also undrafted up-and-comer Shaquil Barrett in the rotation at outside linebacker.

“That first year, he saw those two guys (Ware and Miller) and he thought he was a little better than he was at that time,” said Fred Pagac, the Broncos’ outside linebackers coach. “Now he’s learning from those guys. Hopefully he’ll emulate them and be a great pro himself.”

Miller said of Ray: “It’s was just new for him. When you’re the man and you get around other guys that are the man too, it’s a learning curve.”

That wasn’t Ray’s only issue a year ago. He had the season-long stress of his legal case, stemming for a marijuana citation he received three days before the draft. It wasn’t officially adjudicated until this past March. He battled a lingering turf toe injury in the spring and summer. Then he missed two regular-season games after suffering a sprained medial collateral ligament in September.

“I had so much on my mind that I wasn’t able to contribute the way I wanted. It felt like football was being taken away from me. I was angry again. I was coming to work upset,” Ray said. “When I came back to OTAs, I wanted to show I had matured and that I’m the player they drafted.”

Ray takes film study more seriously this season. He picks the brains of Miller and Ware more often. He spent portions of the offseason telling his story and encouraging athletes at his former high school, Bishop Miege, who strive to follow his path. He hasn’t let his NFL life change his commitment to those back home, Bishop Miege coach Jon Holmes said.

Ray’s emergence as a role model for young people is what makes his mom the proudest.

“We have to encourage our kids to continue to dream,” Johnson said. “I was in Jacksonville and a little boy came up to me and said, ‘Shane’s my idol.’ He was a little chubby guy and he said, ‘I’m not very good.’ I said it doesn’t matter — Shane wore 52 husky. Shane had big feet. He was awkward, but he worked really hard.”

SEEKING STARDOM

Last weekend, Ray was the veteran teaching Patriots rookie guard Joe Thuney a lesson in the art of rushing the passer. Early in the third quarter of Denver’s 16-3 loss to New England, Ray unleashed a quick, violent swim move that left Thuney holding on to Ray’s ankles as Ray sacked quarterback Tom Brady.

It may have been Ray’s most impressive sack of the season. He has been on a hot streak recently, notching sacks in three of his last four games. His seven sacks rank second among the Broncos, behind Miller. And that’s exactly who he’s chasing.

“You can see it in his eyes,” Miller said. “Some of the stuff I point out on film that didn’t used to bother him, now it bothers him. He really wants to be an elite player. He wants when you talk about defense, you have to bring up his name. He really wants that stardom.”

Ray, 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, has gained maturity but hasn’t lost an ounce of confidence. He believes he is elite already but knows he has to do more to be mentioned alongside Miller, Khalil Mack, Justin Houston and all the NFL’s other top pass rushers.

“People told him coming out of high school that he was too small. He proved that wrong,” Holmes said. “He got the knock when he got to the league that he was just a speed rusher who couldn’t play the run, and he’s had to prove that wrong. He doesn’t take anything for granted, and he passes that on to our guys.”

Ray gained 11 pounds this past offseason, including 8 pounds of muscle, in hopes of becoming a more complete outside linebacker. He now has the mass to handle a long season and the dual responsibilities of rushing the passer and stopping the run.

Pagac and Denver defensive coordinator Wade Phillips can see the slight differences are having an impact on Ray’s game. More important, he is fully buying in to the mental portion of being a pro.

“He’s not as timid anymore,” Ware said. “He used to play with a lot of timidness, not trying to make any mistakes. Now you can see that tenacity of how he played in college carrying over. He’s playing every day with a little bit more brute force.”

Ray’s future is bright. He’s still in a backup role behind Miller and Ware, but his snap counts often surpass Ware, who has become a third-down specialist.

Denver’s NASCAR package — a personnel grouping with Miller, Ware and Ray rushing at the same time — has given opponents fits. It led to that sack against New England. It also gives a glimpse into the future of what Ray would look like opposite Miller full time.

Miller (13.5) and Ray have combined for 20.5 sacks this season, tying Seattle’s Cliff Avril and Frank Clark for the NFL’s top pass-rushing duo through Week 15.

“Whenever D-Ware decides his time is done, I’m ready,” Ray said. “My goal this season as a backup was to get 10 sacks, and I’m still in reach. That speaks volumes to the player I’m going to be. So Pro Bowl next year, Shane Ray, guaranteed.”

Rapid Fire

The Denver Post asked Shane Ray five questions to see what first came to his mind:

Q: What is your go-to for food when you’re back home in Kansas City?

A: “Because I grew up there — the barbecue — I got tired of it after a while. The first place that I normally go is Church’s Chicken off 55th Street next to my grandma’s house. It takes me back to my childhood.”

Q: Who is the hardest player you’ve ever gone against?

A: “I want to give a lot of credit to Andrew Luck. I’ve never played against a quarterback that big with that kind of pocket presence. I’m bringing him down holding on to both legs and he’s still getting the ball off. That’s impressive, because I’m not a small guy and I’m coming with violence.”

Q: Who is your best friend among the Broncos?

A: “I’ve got a handful of guys — Taurean Nixon, Lorenzo Doss, Shaq Barrett. Those are my everyday guys. If anything goes wrong, I know I can call them.”

Q: How do you want to be remembered?

A: “When my career is done, they’re going to say Shane Ray was an animal. He was relentless. He was physical and he’s going to be a Hall of Famer.”

Q: What’s your top career goal?

A: “Whenever it is I’m the starter, I want to be a 15- to 20-sack guy. I want to beat Justin Houston’s 22 sacks. I want to break the record.”