\u201cThere is a toughness about the way he plays,\u201d Payton said earlier this offseason. \u201cSometimes you can be a second responder and sometimes a first responder, and he appears first a lot on screen. There\u2019s a style to how he plays.\u201d<\/p>\n
In other words, Hufanga doesn\u2019t wait for others to make the play first, then arrive to clean up. He\u2019s the one attacking runs and screen passes as they develop. He\u2019s the guided missile launching upfield.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s something that the Broncos felt was missing \u2014 especially down the stretch last season, as injuries deteriorated the core of their two back lines of their defense. Linebacker Alex Singleton saw his season end after three games. Safety P.J. Locke played through injury, and wasn\u2019t the same as he was a year earlier.<\/p>\n
And by mid-December, opponents had a license to run through the Broncos. If they could get to the second level and past the stout defensive line, game over.<\/p>\n
The result in Buffalo on Jan. 12 was a time-of-possession discrepancy that was the worst against the Broncos in over 41 years.<\/p>\n
Along with Dre Greenlaw, the Broncos hope Hufanga changes that.<\/p>\n
But the Broncos need Hufanga to be the Defensive Player of the Year candidate that he was with the San Francisco 49ers before he tore his anterior cruciate ligament 10 games into the 2023 season<\/a>, sending him down a path of pain that sidetracked his career.<\/p>\n When Hufanga returned last year, he dealt with an ankle injury and subsequently tore wrist ligaments.<\/p>\n The ensuing struggles were obvious and understandable; opposing quarterbacks posted a 118.6 rating when targeting him, per data compiled by SportRadar.com.<\/p>\n In the 2022 and 2023 seasons prior to the ACL tear, that figure was 76.6, thanks to the seven interceptions he procured in that span.<\/p>\n Hufanga wasn\u2019t the same, and with good reason.<\/p>\n Had he been healthy, he likely would still wear the 49ers\u2019 scarlet and gold. Now, the focus \u2014 as with Greenlaw, Evan Engram and JK Dobbins \u2014 is on the Broncos\u2019 methodologies yielding better outcomes after improving the team\u2019s injury rate the last two seasons.<\/p>\n \u201cInjury is part of the game,\u201d Hufanga said during the offseason. \u201c(Hall of Fame safety) Troy Polamalu always told me, \u2018It\u2019s a 100 percent injury rate regardless.\u2019 For you to go in, you have to understand what comes with it.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, every injury that I\u2019ve came along, I think it\u2019s just a testament to who I am and to battle through adversity through those moments. [It is] something that I\u2019ve taken in and wear on my sleeve when I go out on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n Hufanga will have a solid partner in returning starter Brandon Jones, who is settled in after his finest season as a pro. He quickly found a rhythm with Hufanga.<\/p>\n \u201cYou would have thought we\u2019ve been friends for all of our lives because of his vibe and how smart he is,\u201d Jones said. \u201cWe shared the same position coach in college, so we came in knowing each other.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been really fun with his football I.Q.\u201d<\/p>\n But with Hufanga\u2019s recent injuries, the Broncos know their depth might be needed.<\/p>\n SPECIAL TEAMS WILL DETERMINE THE DEPTH BEYOND HUFANGA, JONES<\/p>\n And that was a point that Payton made clear during offseason work.<\/p>\n \u201cI say this: The quickest way is special teams. It\u2019s hard to be safety [No.] 3 or 4 and not be a contributor,\u201d Payton said. \u201cSo, I think that will be really important.\u201d<\/p>\n And it makes the backup-safety competition the most compelling under-the-radar competition on the roster.<\/p>\n Start with Locke, who leads the reserves, bumped down after the addition of Hufanga. On his YouTube channel<\/a>, Locke revealed that he underwent spinal fusion surgery, which left him sidelined during offseason work.<\/p>\n Locke sits in a precarious spot given his contract; the Broncos would save $4.19 million if they traded or released him.<\/p>\n But Hufanga\u2019s recent injuries make it prudent to have a reserve with quality starting experience. Further, if Locke can stay healthy \u2014 and his role demands more special-teams work than it did in the last two seasons \u2014 then he would return to a task that he handled exceptionally well early in his career.<\/p>\n In the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons, Locke was a core-four special teamer, playing at least 75 percent of the special-teams snaps in each campaign. That rate dropped as his defensive use rose. But if needed, his background shows plenty of capability \u2014 and leadership \u2014 in that phase.<\/p>\n But the Broncos are blessed with capable special teamers at the safety position, and the 53-player roster likely doesn\u2019t have room for all of them.<\/p>\n Start with JL Skinner, a sixth-round pick two years ago<\/a>. As a safety, he has failed to launch to this point as a pro; his aggression from his Boise State days has yet to translate on defense. But it has on special teams, where he played 312 snaps last year, more than any returning Bronco.<\/p>\n But on defense, Skinner played just 16 snaps. He found himself behind Devon Key, who made two starts in relief of Locke and Jones. Key was also involved on special teams last year, playing 257 snaps.<\/p>\n For Key, the results of his most extensive action were mixed; he struggled against Baltimore, but fared better a fortnight later in the romp over Atlanta.<\/p>\n Practice-squad player Keidron Smith, who played in nine games and saw 122 special-teams snaps, also returns after signing a reserve-future contract. He didn\u2019t play after Week 11.<\/p>\n But the room is considerably more crowded with the return of Delarrin Turner-Yell from a torn ACL<\/a> and the addition of veteran Sam Franklin Jr. in free agency<\/a>. Turner-Yell was arguably the team\u2019s best special-teamer in 2023 before his Week 17 injury that season; Franklin was a core special teamer in Carolina last season.<\/p>\n Among Locke, Key, Skinner, Smith, Turner-Yell and Franklin, probably no more than three stick on the initial 53-player roster. There aren\u2019t any rookies in the mix because there simply wasn\u2019t room; as it is, Denver is likely to cut at least one player who immediately lands somewhere else.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a good problem to have, and a consequence of the roster-restoration work done over the last four years.<\/p>\n![\"Broncos](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Hufanga_Talanoa_250612.jpg\")
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(Photo by Andrew Mason \/ Denver Sports)<\/p>\n![\"YouTube](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752654251_358_hqdefault.jpg\")
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