The NFL changes fast. A month ago, Brandon Marshall was entrenched as the Denver Broncos’ starting inside linebacker next to Todd Davis.

But Marshall hasn’t seen action since Denver’s Week 8 loss at Kansas City, as he’s slowly recovered from a significant knee bruise. Without Marshall in the lineup, the Broncos’ defense hasn’t been the worse for wear.

While Josey Jewell has been the biggest reason the defense has not only avoided regression, but has actually improved (dramatically) against the run over the last four games, another player who deserves some credit is Joseph Jones.

In Week 13, Jewell went down with a high-ankle sprain early on and did not return, which put the onus on Jones to step in and play next to Davis in Denver’s base 3-4 defense. It should be no surprise that Jones would go on to make a significant impact on his 24 snaps.

Playing 35 percent of the defensive snaps, the second-year linebacker finished with four solo tackles vs. the Bengals. The Broncos did not skip a beat defensively with Jones on the field, and its a credit to the tenacious, young linebacker.

Joseph has been Denver’s special teams maven this year, ranking among the NFL’s top-10 in third-phase tackles. Just watching him on special teams, it was easy to see the intensity and physicality he plays with.

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I’ve been saying for weeks that it would not be a stretch to extrapolate that production to defense, and we finally got to see Jones in action as a linebacker for the Broncos. He was a constant force around the ball when he was on the field.

Jones plays with surprising quickness, to go along with that physicality and intensity. Going undrafted last year, the Northwestern product spent time with the Cowboys, Chargers and Seahawks before ending up in Denver late in the regular season.

Like most players who didn’t hear their name called on Draft Day, Jones plays with an urgency and world-sized chip on his shoulder. There was one play in Cincinnati that epitomizes those very traits.

There were a couple snaps in which Jones made a solo stop on the ball-carrier for a two-yard gain or less. I could have highlighted one of those, but it was another play in which he was involved that more stridently highlights his underrated skill-set.

The Bengals were in a favorable 2nd-&-4 situation in the third quarter. Out of the shotgun, the give went to RB Joe Mixon, who tried the left side of Denver’s D-line.

Jones fired down and fit his gap as I’m sure his responsibility on the play dictated, but with nothing doing play-side, Mixon made a phenomenal spin move to break the ball to the backside where he had daylight.

While the play would go on to pick up 17 yards for Cincy, we see the motor and surprising speed of Jones, who sheds the block of the Bengals’ center to cross the entire field and not only run Mixon out of bounds, but lay a bone-rattling hit for good measure. Watching the tape from Week 13, its no wonder Jones finished as Denver’s second highest-graded defender (89.7) behind Von Miller (90.4) according to Pro Football Focus, which is a near-elite grade.

High-ankle sprains can linger, which casts a pall on the availability of Josey Jewell this week on the road at San Fran. Todd Davis is playing now at a Pro Bowl level, but having a depth linebacker of Jones’ caliber to step in on base defense and play next to him is a huge boon.

On Monday, head coach Vance Joseph revealed that Brandon Marshall is "ready to go" but the veteran linebacker still has to get cleared by the Broncos’ medical staff before he can play. Marshall missed the entire month of November with his knee injury, but if I’m Coach Joseph, I’m a little apprehensive about inserting him back into the starting lineup.

The Broncos defense regressed early on in the season, allowing back-to-back 200-yard rushers and more than 500 yards on the ground over a three-game span. Marshall’s play was a big reason why. When he’s been healthy this year, he’s been more of a liability than an asset for the Broncos’ defense.

There was a reason the rookie Jewell was seeing so much playing time in the first half of the season, but Marshall is making $5 million this year in base salary, which likely means the Broncos won’t hesitate to give him playing time, health-willing.

Denver could certainly use Marshall’s experience, at least in theory. At this point, though, the Broncos have to win out in order to maximize their shot at a playoff berth. Over the last three games, this team has established a formula I’d be loathe to deviate from, regardless of Marshall’s salary.

Keep Joseph Jones on the field in base package, and roll Marshall out in nickel — if you must. Otherwise, the Broncos would be wise to continue playing Davis in sub-packages, with the combination of Su'a Cravens and Will Parks serving as the ‘dime-backer’ next to him. However it shakes out, its great to see Jones making hay while the sun is shining.