ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — A season after earning All-Pro honors and helping the Broncos boast one of the league’s best defenses, veteran safety Talanoa Hufanga knows what’s most important as Denver begins training camp.

That’s protecting the standard.

Denver’s defensive highlights date back decades to Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Gradishar and the Orange Crush defense, which gave way to a pair of hard-hitting safeties in Steve Atwater and Dennis Smith and Ring of Famers in Karl Mecklenburg and Simon Fletcher. Hall of Fame teammates Champ Bailey and John Lynch continued a tradition of excellence, and the “No Fly Zone” and Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller led the Broncos to their latest Lombardi Trophy.

The most recent iteration of Denver’s defensive excellence features a group that has led the NFL in sacks in each of the last two seasons. The Broncos ranked second in total defense and third in scoring defense in 2025, which marked the second consecutive season in which Denver posted a top-three scoring unit.

Hufanga joined the Broncos ahead of the most recent campaign, and he stressed the importance of upholding Denver’s defensive standard as he enters his second season with the Broncos.

“I think for us, the message that’s been kind of set is, ‘The standard,'” Hufanga said Thursday. “There’s always a standard that you [set], at least for our defense. What does that standard look like? It’s guys being in early, it’s guys staying late, it’s guys studying and it’s guys learning.”

That standard, Hufanga said, permeates beyond play calls and schematics. Rather, it’s the way the team plays.

“At the end of the day, it’s really the type of style that you play,” Hufanga said. “The schematics is always going to be down there and that’s game plan to game plan, but what’s the style that you want? I think that’s what Coach always refers to us is, ‘The standard.’ It’s guys running to the ball, guys flying, guys finishing plays and being physical. Obviously, we don’t have pads on yet, but being physical players as a defense. That’s what they’ve set as a groundwork here. I was able to be blessed to come into it last year. At the end of the day, you want to push it forward for the guys that are young, new.”