The loss of DeMarcus Ware to retirement in March left a gaping hole in the Broncos’ locker room. Or so it was perceived.

The team, especially its defense, had lost its leader, a 12-year veteran who built his legacy on rushing quarterbacks and mentoring teammates.

But one of Ware’s mentees had evolved into a leader — a different kind of leader, but one Shane Ray believes doesn’t get enough credit for his work off the field.

When asked about Ware’s departure and Von Miller‘s ability to fill the void, Ray praised his teammate and explained how much Miller has helped him in his two NFL seasons.

“Honestly, I always say that Von’s leadership kind of goes, not unnoticed, but a lot of people don’t really talk about it and the things that he does,” Ray said. “He’s just as vocal with players and teammates as he is with media and everything else that he does. His critique of me and Shaq (Barrett) and coaching us — DeMarcus was more our mentor and Von was that tough big brother. Like, ‘This is how you have to do it. Your feet look like this. Nah, you have to do it over again.’

“That’s the kind of leader he is. He’s upfront, he teaches guys. My eating habits and wanting to get a chef and get my body to a certain body-fat percentage, that came from Von. Because he did it to a whole other level — 245-250 pounds, 7 percent body fat and can bend like no other. I started figuring things out like, ‘Hey, Von, how do I get my ankles more flexible, how do I do this?’ And he’s always trying to help guys, always trying to bring guys to extra workouts, always trying to talk to guys. that’s him. Maybe it doesn’t look like that from the outside in, but that’s what he does every day and he never changes. That’s his personality.”