The Denver Broncos signed Jamal Carter as an undrafted college free agent in 2017. He was seen as a bit of an athletic freak who could get play both safety and nickle LB, but would need to refine his game to be more than a special teams player at the NFL level.

He finished his college career with 165 total tackles (96 solo), 10 PBU, 1.5 TFL and 1 INT, but was only a starter in his final two seasons for the Hurricanes.

Jamal Carter Profile

Height: 6-1 | Weight: 215 pounds | Experience: 3 years

Arm length: 31” | Hands: 9 3/8” | 40 yard dash: 4.64

Bench press: 23 reps | Vertical jump: 35” | Broad jump: 122 inches

20 Yard shuttle: 4.35 seconds (pro-day) | 3-Cone drill: 7.17 seconds (pro-day)

The good

Jamal Carter was quickly making a name for himself in 2017 as a special teams gunner and and as a backup safety. His main role in 2017 was on special teams where he played 340 total snaps. He only had four games that season where he took more than 10 defensive snaps (games 1, 15, 16 and 17).

2018 looked to be the year when Jamal could cement his status as the #3 safety, but then two things happened. The Broncos traded for Su’a Cravens, who essentially fills that same role (#3 Safety/Nickle LB) and Jamal Carter was injured and missed the entire season. Jamal lost a season of development.

The bad

Carter is slow even for a strong safety. He has to rely on play recognition and instinct. If he is in the wrong place on a play, he does not have the speed or the quickness to adjust in time. Jamal is currently battling six other players for safety spots on the 53-man roster: Justin Simmons, Will Parks, Su’a Cravens, Trey Marshall, Dymonte Thomas and Shamarko Thomas. Only Marshall has less NFL experience than Carter.

Jamal Carter highlights

Jamal Carter has been impressive as a LB/S hybrid player so far this preseason. Nice delayed blitz for the pressure, forcing the incomplete. pic.twitter.com/9REu4cj2w6 — Jeffrey Essary (@JeffreyEssary) August 31, 2017

Jamal Carter’s roster status with the Broncos

It really depends on if the new coaching staff is viewing him as a safety or a LB. If he can play at 220 lbs, he might have the combination of speed (for a LB) and toughness that lands him a spot as a backup ILB. That would essentially make him a LB/S instead of a S/LB. He has the strength and the toughness to be an ILB (or an OLB).

The listed roster weights for all of our ILB’s is between 230 and 240 lbs. From the perspective of our ILB group he would have third most defensive snaps in the group behind only Todd Davis and Josey Jewell. Making the 53-man roster as a safety would be a much more difficult task particularly with Cravens penciled in as the S/LB and S. Thomas (who was signed when Carter went to the IR last season) as the special teams ace.