The Broncos have had an elite defense over the past two seasons as defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is clearly one of the sharpest defensive minds in the sport today as Denver has finished third in scoring defense over the past two seasons despite having relatively average defensive personnel. The Denver players on the defensive side of things will likely need to better if the Broncos plan on maintaining or improving their level of defensive play over the past few years. Here I will go into detail assessing the front seven personnel of the team heading into the 2026 season.
Veteran Malcolm Roach is the first listed starter, and he is set to start at the edge defender spot. Roach is known for having gotten off to an abysmal start to his career as in his first three seasons in the NFL he graded poorly among players at his position according to Pro Football Focus. However, in each of the last three seasons, he has graded in the above average to well above average range among players at his position. It remains to be seen if he can maintain it, but Roach remains a talented player with a lot of inconsistency.
D.J Jones is set to start at the nose tackle spot for the Broncos next season, and he is also a strong but inconsistent player. Jones has graded in the below average range in terms of an overall defense grade among players at his position in four of nine seasons in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. Jones has however shown a very high ceiling in the NFL grading in the borderline elite range among players at his position in two separate seasons including a career best (12/147) ranking in that department during the 2025 season.
The same theme of talent but inconsistencies also applies to veteran Zach Allen who is set to start at the other edge defender spot for Denver. Allen has graded in the above average range among players at his position in just three of seven seasons although grading very highly a few of those times. Unlike the previous two listed players before he had a down year during the 2025 season, so it will be interesting to see how he comes back from it in 2026.
Veterans Jonathan Cooper and Alex Singleton are set to start at the next of the two linebacker spots and are also players who have a high ceiling but are inconsistent.
2020 5th rounder Justin Strnad is set to start at the third of the linebacker spots and struggled to start his career playing in his essential rookie snaps, however since Strnad has moved past his initial portion of essential rookie snaps he has formed into a strong player. During the 2025 season Strnad graded (17/94) in terms of an overall defense grade among players at his position according to Pro Football Focus. Perhaps Strnad is just a high-end caliber without the inconsistencies.
Rounding out Denver’s’ starting front seven lineup is 2022 2nd rounder Nik Bonitto who is a two-time Pro Bowler and a one time All-Pro (2nd team). Bonitto is likely the best overall player in the Broncos’ front seven, but he can even struggle to remain consistent although his struggles were in his first two seasons where he was still learning on the job. Bonitto has also not shown an elite ceiling but perhaps could take that next step as a player beginning next year for Denver.
Given all the inconsistent players that Denver has in their front seven, the depth that the team has in the unit could loom large as reserves might be tasked into moving to starting roles if the starters are not playing well. Interior defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike has consistently played at an above average in limited NFL snaps. 2025 3rd round edge defender Savion Jones played very well in very limited rookie snaps and will be in line to build off of it going forward. 2024 3rd round linebacker/edge defender Jonah Ellis struggled as a rookie but looked very strong in limited year 2 snaps. Linebacker/edge defender Dondrea Tillman has consistently performed at an above average to a well above average clip in limited snaps. While linebacker Jordan Turner looked very good in about a games worth of rookie action in 2025 as an undrafted free agent. Denver also has more than a few remaining players who could step in from the reserve unit and provide the team with strong production.
Overall, the Broncos have a starting front seven that is solid but not spectacular in terms of overall talent but they are very deep from a front seven personnel standpoint. A breakdown of the Denver front seven heading into the 2026 season can be found below.
Projected 2026 Broncos’ Starting Front Seven
LDE – Malcolm Roach – B to B+
NT – D.J Jones – B to B+
RDE – Zach Allen – C+ to B-
WLB – Jonathan Cooper – B-
LILB – Alex Singleton – C+ to B-
RILB – Justin Strand – B to B+
SLB – Nik Bonitto – B+
Notable 2026 Denver Broncos’ Reserve Front Seven Personnel
NT – Eyioma Uwazurike – B-
ED – Savion Jones – 2025 3rd rounder, B in 33 rookie snaps
LB – Jonah Elliss – B to B+
LB – Dondrea Tillman – B+
LB – Jordan Turner – B to B+ in 23 rookie snaps
DL – Tyler Onyedim – 2026 3rd rounder
LB – Drew Sanders – 2023 3rd rounder, C- so far, still improving, has not had enough chance to prove himself yet
