Ray: Broncos Ready Once Again 'To Show Panthers Who The Better Team Is'

DENVER (CBS4) - The Broncos No. 1 defense lost some players to free agency in the offseason, but many of the returning members of the squad don't think they'll miss a beat when the new season starts.

Count linebacker Shane Ray among those folks.

"We have a lot of guys coming back on defense that are ready to contribute," Ray said on Xfinity Monday Live. "I think we have nine of our 10 starters coming back and we have a lot of young guys such as me, Shaq Barrett and Bradley Roby that are coming back as well to contribute big this year."

Ray said he expects the Broncos offense will be better this year, but even a mediocre offense (they were ranked No. 16 in total offense last year) may be all the Broncos need to make another run at a title.

"As a defense, we're just so aggressive at attacking teams, getting the ball, and I think that we're going to be even better this year," he said.

The 2016 schedule is out, and the new season starts out the way it ended for the Broncos -- with a matchup against the Carolina Panthers. And that challenge of facing an elite team in the first week of the new season has got Ray excited.

"I think (the Panthers) are going to want to come out with something to prove and we're all big time competitors on this team, so we're looking forward to another opportunity to compete against them and make sure we show them who the better team is again," Ray said.

Ray, the Broncos first round draft pick last year, made several big plays during the Broncos championship season. But he knows there could have been more. He's been studying the film and talking to veterans like Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, and he says he failed to do "a lot of little technical things."

"I'm ready for a whole changeup. Just taking that leap from rookie me to second year me and just showing all the work I've put in," he said.

Ray says he was often hesitant on the field as a rookie.

"I didn't really have a key for the snap count like I did in college. I didn't really know the situations like I did. That's the way it is when you come into the league. You've got to be able to see things so much faster, and I think I was just a little bit off. It affected me in my whole pass rush and everything," he said. "Now that I've seen that, I feel way more comfortable."

The NFL Draft starts on Thursday and like everyone else, Ray is eager to see who the team selects with their first pick. Most of all, he's ready to move on from being the youngest guy in the locker room.

"That stage is done for me and I'm glad to pass the torch to a new group of guys," he said with a smile. "I'm looking forward to giving them the rookie treatment."