Mile High Huddle recently featured three Denver Broncos players who are deserving of more respect ahead of the 2026 NFL season. Primary slot cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian topped the list.
NFL Media has concurred, dubbing the former undrafted free agent as the team’s most underappreciated talent on the 90-man offseason roster.
“When Denver spent its 2025 first-round pick on Jahdae Barron, it felt like McMillian’s spot in the lineup was under threat,” NFL.com editor Gennaro Filice wrote Tuesday. “Then McMillian responded with his best professional season yet, inspiring notable praise from Broncos GM George Paton in February: ‘He’s one of our core players. We love having him here.’ A former undrafted free-agent signee, McMillian signed a second-round RFA tender in March, exhibiting how much his value has increased over four seasons in Denver. As the nickelback in Vance Joseph’s aggressive defense, McMillian is a feisty run defender who also offers ball production (two interceptions in each of the past three seasons) and blitz savvy (four sacks in 2025). Not to mention, the guy boasts an undeniable clutch gene. His OT pick of Josh Allen in January’s Divisional Round might have been controversial, but it set up the Broncos for the win.”
McMillian wasn’t supposed to stick around as a UDFA. He was favored to lose his job last year after Denver used its first-round pick on CB Jahdae Barron. Instead, he turned in his best campaign to date, setting career highs with four sacks, two forced fumbles, nine passes defensed, and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
McMillian was also arguably the Broncos’ secondary defender during the playoffs, keying the franchise’s upset victory over the Bills. However, he was “rewarded” not with a long-term extension, but with a one-year tender worth roughly $5.81 million.
McMillian, who turns 26 in June, is currently scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2027.
“We’ll see what we do with him. We’re still working through that. We want him here,” general manager George Paton said in February. “Certainly a team could call us, who knows. He’s one of our core players and we love having him here.”
Jan 17, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Ja’quan McMillian (29) celebrates after intercepting a pass intended for Buffalo Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks (not pictured) during overtime of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Heed The Message
McMillian has quietly established himself as one of, if not the premier slot corner in the league, possessing a level of ability on par with Pro Bowlers and All-Pro selections. Players like him don’t exactly grow on trees; the Broncos learned this with former star CB Chris Harris Jr., to whom McMillian favorably compares.
But unlike late-career Harris, McMillian is not yet a household name — neither in Broncos Country nor to whose outside of state lines. There haven’t been calls for his extension like there were for cornerback Patrick Surtain II, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, and several other of his teammates.
McMillian is more deserving of a long-term commitment than he is playing under an extremely team-friendly one-year deal. The problem is, Denver’s decision-makers obviously don’t share the same confidence; if they did, he’d have been locked up already.
To quote the late, great Rodney Dangerfield: “No respect.”
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