Steve Atwater will be cheering for the Broncos Sunday.

It seems obvious, given Atwater is an all-time Broncos great who helped Denver to winning back-to-back Super Bowls in 1998 and 1999, and will be inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame this upcoming summer as a member of the 2020 class. He’s also now a fan ambassador for the Broncos, working closely with the Denver community and Broncos Country. 

But the former Bronco will not only be cheering for his team Sunday, but also his nephew, Jeremy Chinn, a rookie linebacker/safety for the Panthers.  

“Well, I’ll definitely be pulling for the Broncos,” Atwater said with a laugh. “But I do want him to do well. I want him to go out and have a solid game — no injuries or anything like that. But we want a Broncos road victory.”

Chinn was drafted in the second round by the Panthers out of Southern Illinois and has been a huge contributor to their defense this season. 

He’s totaled 87 tackles, five pass deflections, two forced fumbles and one interception, starting in 11 of Carolina’s 12 games this season. 

“Seeing how well he played in college — his speed, his toughness, his physicality — I can’t really say I’m surprised,” Atwater said. “I’m just happy he’s at a place that utilizes all of his skills. That’s always a big part of a guy’s success, is getting drafted to the right place.”

Chinn has found much of his success in large part because of the position he plays — a hybrid of linebacker and safety. 

In college, Chinn mostly played in the secondary. In the NFL, the Panthers are having him play both as a linebacker and safety, as he’s great in coverage and filling gaps in the run game. 

Broncos coach Vic Fangio was asked this week about Chinn and how more teams are starting to play guys who aren’t classified as either a linebacker or safety. 

“They found a niche for him to excel and he does a really good job for them,” Fangio said of Chinn. “He’s listed as a linebacker sometimes but he’s a defensive back playing linebacker. He’s one of those hybrid guys that can do both. There’s not a lot of them that can do it effectively — both run and pass — but Chinn seems to be one of the better ones at it.”

Atwater, who played safety for the Broncos for 10 seasons (1989-1998), believes Chinn will eventually be only a safety given his 6-foot-3, 221-pound frame. 

But Atwater also admits he’s never been one to give a whole lot of advice to his nephew, despite his wealth of knowledge in the game and the position Chinn plays. His biggest and really only piece of advice has been to take care of his body to extend his future career. 

Other than that, Atwater says Chinn has earned all of his success on his own. 

“When he was younger, heck, I was still playing back in the day,” said Atwater, who totaled 1,188 tackles and 24 interceptions in his 11-year NFL career. “But I’m really proud of the progress that he’s made. I always tell everyone, it’s not about me. It’s about Jeremy. I didn’t do anything. He’s the one that had to do all the workouts, learn the defense, go out there and make the tackles. I don’t deserve any credit. He deserves all the credit.” 

So when the Broncos face the Panthers Sunday and Atwater watches from his Denver home, he’ll be hoping for a Broncos victory. But one can also bet he’ll be smiling if Chinn comes up with an interception or fumble or any big play against his favorite team. 

“If he keeps playing the way he’s playing, he’s going to be great,” Atwater said. “I’m really, really happy for him. I’m proud of him. He’s doing a really good job, and I think the sky’s the limit for him.”