Vance Joseph\u2019s defense was once again among the best in the business in 2025. In what constitutes a moderate surprise, Joseph will be back in the saddle for another year as the Broncos\u2019 defensive coordinator in 2026 after he went through the head coaching interview circuit but didn\u2019t come up with any of the 10 head coaching jobs that opened.<\/p>\n
The Denver defense will look at least a little different come the 2026 season, but it has a deep, talented core set to return.<\/p>\n
The 2025 group was a unique one, disruptive to an elite level and good at virtually everything except taking the ball away.<\/p>\n
Here is a look back on the regular season and what can be learned for the future.<\/p>\n
Five key defensive numbers<\/p>\n
18.3 \u2014\u00a0Points per game allowed (No. 3 in the NFL)<\/p>\n
4.5 \u2014\u00a0Yards per play allowed (No. 1)<\/p>\n
68 \u2014 Sacks (Franchise record and most in the NFL)<\/p>\n
34.6% \u2014\u00a0Rate of drives against that ended in a score (No. 7)<\/p>\n
6.8% \u2014 Turnover rate forced (No. 28)<\/p>\n
![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/TDP-L-BRONCOS-JETSAO2_5609x.jpg\")
Alex Singleton (49) piles on Justin Fields (7) of the New York Jets after Jonathon Cooper (0) made a game-clinching sack during the fourth quarter of the Broncos\u2019 13-11 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)
\nHigh Point<\/p>\n
There are a few to choose from over the regular season. Denver\u2019s return from the bye week in Washington was anything but pretty defensively until Nik Bonitto made one of the plays of the season, batting down a deciding two-point conversion attempt in overtime and sealing the Broncos\u2019 eighth straight win. Pat Surtain II\u2019s flying interception against Green Bay sparked a dominant second half. Joseph\u2019s group held five opponents overall to less than 200 yards, then recorded five takeaways against Buffalo in the divisional round of the postseason and kept New England to 206 yards in the AFC title game. No game was more dominant, though, than the Broncos\u2019 13-11 win against the New York Jets in London. Denver racked up nine sacks, including three in the final 4:19 alone. Jonathon Cooper and Brandon Jones closed the game out with a fourth-and-10 sack of Justin Fields, who finished with minus-10 net passing yards. The Jets\u2019 offense stunk all year, so it wasn\u2019t the highest degree of difficulty, but the win got Denver back across the ocean with a three-game streak in hand. That run, of course, eventually ballooned to 11 games.<\/p>\n
Low Point<\/p>\n
The Broncos had a formula that worked most of the season: Win on third down and in the red zone and pressure the heck out of opposing quarterbacks. Week 16 against Jacksonville and Trevor Lawrence provided a bit of a scare heading into the postseason. Denver\u2019s defense had already lagged a bit after the bye week \u2014 the Commanders and Packers each scored 26 points and at times gave the Broncos fits \u2014 but Lawrence led one of the few offensive outings that really cracked this group open. The Jags went 4 of 5 in the red zone at Empower Field. They converted 8 of 15 on third down. Lawrence was sacked five times but hardly seemed to notice, throwing for 279 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another. That made him and the Jags offense one of only two to score more than three touchdowns on the regular season against Denver\u2019s defense \u2014 rookie Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants were the other and it prompted head coach Sean Payton to issue a warning: Force turnovers in the postseason or else.<\/p>\n
![\"Zach](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/TDP-L-BRONCOS-TEXANSAO1_6137x.jpg\")
Zach Allen (99) of the Denver Broncos knocks down Davis Mills (10) of the Houston Texans as he gets off an incomplete pass during the fourth quarter of the Broncos\u2019 18-15 win at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n
MVP: DT Zach Allen. There are several worthy candidates in this group. Bonitto came up one vote shy of All-Pro status and logged a career-best 14 sacks. Pat Surtain II missed 3.5 games with a partially torn pec but carried on as the finest corner in football when healthy. What Allen did in the middle of the Broncos\u2019 defense, though, is difficult to overstate. He led the NFL in quarterback hits with 47, eight more than Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett in his record-setting 23-sack campaign. It\u2019s the most hits credited to a player since Nick Bosa\u2019s 48 in 2022 and the second straight year Allen\u2019s led the NFL. He had the second-most pressures (59) among defensive tackles, too. In three years with the Broncos, Allen has posted an 11.3% pressure rate or better, hit the quarterback 112 times, averaged 63.3 pressures per year and missed just one game. A foundational player.<\/p>\n
Tough Season:\u00a0 ILB Dre Greenlaw. This is more about injuries and availability than about performance. In fact, Greenlaw himself described his first year with the Broncos as being \u201cvery tough.\u201d It started only a month after signing a three-year deal in free agency with a quad injury. Greenlaw and the Broncos thought he was past it when training camp start, but recurring issues ended up costing him the first six games of the season. At the end of his first game of the season, he got suspended for a game. Then a Week 16 hamstring injury cost him the final two games of the regular season. In between, Greenlaw was a force against the run and not used a ton in coverage. It sets up an open question about whether he\u2019s in the Broncos\u2019 defensive plan going forward.<\/p>\n
Under the radar: ILB Justin Strnad. Greenlaw\u2019s addition got a ton of offseason attention, but Strnad just quietly keeps getting better and better. He played the best football of his career in 2025 and stamped himself as a bona fide starter going forward. Good timing, too, considering Strnad\u2019s a free agent and should command solid money either from Denver or elsewhere. The 2020 fifth-round pick is strong enough to play against the run, has improved in coverage and is a terrific blitzer. He logged a career-best 4.5 sacks this year. Pretty impressive for a player who went nearly three full years without playing a single defensive snap from mid-2020 into early 2024.<\/p>\n
Overall conversion rates allowed \u2013 Broncos under DC Vance Joseph<\/p>\n
Year
\nThird down rate
\nNFL rank
\nRed zone TD rate
\nNFL rank<\/p>\n
2023
\n33.2%
\n2
\n57.6%
\n22<\/p>\n
2024
\n37.3%
\n11
\n46.9%
\n3<\/p>\n
2025
\n33.8%
\n2
\n42.6%
\n1<\/p>\n
Run Defense
\nFive Key Numbers<\/p>\n
3.9 \u2014\u00a0Yards allowed per rush (T-2 in the NFL)<\/p>\n
18.8% \u2014\u00a0Rush attempts against that went for loss or no gain (No. 6)<\/p>\n
30 \u2014 Rushes of 10-plus yards allowed (No. 2)<\/p>\n
0.87 \u2014\u00a0Yards before contact allowed per rush (No. 2)<\/p>\n
0 \u2014 100-yard rushers allowed the final 15 games of the regular season<\/p>\n
The Good<\/p>\n
They are not the most heralded players on the roster, but Denver\u2019s interior, primarily the early down trio of defensive linemen D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach and Eyioma Uwazurike, did a lot of heavy lifting in 2025. Jones was a key, last-minute retention before free agency began back in March and he rewarded the Broncos with high-level play and leadership in Year 9. Roach\u2019s game continues to expand, but he did his normal terrific work against the run. Uwazurike was suspended for the 2023 season, played 63 snaps in 2024 and then broke out this year. All three are under contract for 2026 and they will all have key roles, not just against the run but likely also in making up for the seemingly inevitable loss of John Franklin-Myers to free agency. Roach and Uwazurike, in particular, will likely see upticks in their roles. In 2025, though, this trio provided stalwart work against the run.<\/p>\n
![\"Drake](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/TDP-L-brxafc012526-cha-5659.jpg\")
Drake Maye (10) of the New England Patriots runs against the Denver Broncos defense during the 4th quarter of AFC Championship Game at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (Photo by Hyoung Chang\/The Denver Post)
\nThe Bad<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t go bad on the Broncos against the run very often in 2025, but they got an early wake-up call from Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2. Taylor ripped off a 68-yard run and racked up 167 overall in Indy\u2019s walk-off win against Denver. After that, Denver didn\u2019t allow a rusher more than 80 yards. The Broncos overall did a good job against mobile quarterbacks, though Washington\u2019s Marcus Mariota gave them fits with his legs in Week 13. And though this is primarily a regular-season retrospective, it\u2019s at least worth mentioning that Buffalo\u2019s James Cook ran for 117 in the divisional round and that the Bills and Patriots averaged 163 rushing yards in the playoffs after Denver went from Week 3 onward not allowing more than 143 in a game. Patriots QB Drake Maye\u2019s five first downs plus a touchdown on seven carries in the AFC title game were critical.<\/p>\n
The Unknown<\/p>\n
The Broncos do have a talented core set to return in 2026, but there are some holes to fill in the run game. Franklin-Myers is primarily a pass-rusher but his likely departure via free agency will mean changing roles for guys who have been counted on to stop the run. One of the biggest uncertainties defensively is what will happen at inside linebacker, where Strnad and Alex Singleton are free agents and Greenlaw is under contract but would not be difficult to move on from. Any substantial change in personnel, particularly in the middle of the field, can alter the chemistry of a group. Communication originates from the ILBs and emanates outward. If that group is overhauled and JFM departs, there will be a lot of learning to do through the spring and summer. Still, this is a unit that\u2019s well-positioned to be stout against the run again in 2026.<\/p>\n
\u2018Stop\u2019 rate played among NFL DLs<\/p>\n
Player
\nTeam
\nSnaps
\nStops
\nStop %<\/p>\n
Jadeveon Clowney
\nDAL
\n349
\n36
\n10.32%<\/p>\n
Tommy Togiai
\nHOU
\n442
\n43
\n9.73%<\/p>\n
Malcolm Roach
\nDEN
\n385
\n36
\n9.35%<\/p>\n
Eyioma Uwazurike
\nDEN
\n382
\n35
\n9.16%<\/p>\n
Jordan Davis
\nPHI
\n661
\n58
\n8.77%<\/p>\n
Byron Young
\nLAR
\n326
\n28
\n8.59%<\/p>\n
D.J. Jones
\nDEN
\n410
\n35
\n8.54%<\/p>\n
David Onyemata
\nATL
\n610
\n49
\n8.03%<\/p>\n
Harrison Phillips
\nNYJ
\n662
\n53
\n8.01%<\/p>\n
Poona Ford
\nLAR
\n486
\n38
\n7.82%<\/p>\n
*A \u2018stop\u2019 is a tackle on a winning defensive play (negative EPA). Rates among top 70 DLs in stops.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Credit: Next Gen Stats data\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pass Defense
\nFive Key Numbers<\/p>\n
62.3% \u2014\u00a0Pass rate against Denver in 2025 (Second-highest in the NFL)<\/p>\n
40.7% \u2014 Pressure rate generated by the Broncos (No. 2)<\/p>\n
4.8 \u2014\u00a0Passing yards per play allowed (No. 1)<\/p>\n
-0.17 \u2014\u00a0EPA per pass attempt allowed (No. 7)<\/p>\n
10 \u2014 Interceptions (T-18)<\/p>\n
The Good<\/p>\n
Not many teams rush and cover better than the Broncos. They broke a franchise record in sacks for the second straight season, got at least half a sack from 17 different players and paired that fearsome rush with one of the deepest sets of cornerbacks and best overall secondaries in football. They have transformed in the past two years from a mostly anonymous group to one that features four players named to All-Pro teams in the past two seasons \u2014 Allen, Bonitto, Surtain and safety Talanoa Hufanga \u2014\u00a0and is widely recognized as one of football\u2019s best.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve got more cornerbacks than they can get on the field, nickel Ja\u2019Quan McMillian has solidified himself as one of the best in the business and even when safety Brandon Jones went down with a torn pectoral late in the year, P.J. Locke filled in admirably. On the front seven, Denver has developed enviable depth at outside linebacker. GM George Paton called fourth-round rookie Que Robinson the 2025 draft pick with maybe the most upside of the class and he was behind the second-line pair of Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman this fall. This is not an easy group to throw the ball against and the challenge may not get much easier in 2026.<\/p>\n
![\"Wide](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/TDP-L-BroncosVsPackersFB-121425-TH-109.jpg\")
Wide receiver Matthew Golden (0) of the Green Bay Packers reels in a catch while being defended by cornerback Riley Moss (21) of the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium in Denver. (Photo by Timothy Hurst\/The Denver Post)
\nThe Bad<\/p>\n
Two buckets here. The Broncos, for all their strengths and elite numbers overall in pass defense, struggled to deal with opposing tight ends. Denver allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards overall in the regular season and the sixth-most yards to opposing tight ends. Especially after Jones got hurt, teams tested Hufanga and Locke in coverage as often as they could. Joseph talked in detail about how he tries to combat the issue and part of the susceptibility is just how aggressive and man-heavy Denver plays. Still, it is an unsolved issue at this point.<\/p>\n
The second is penalties. The Broncos committed a lot in 2025 and among the most high-profile were a series of defensive pass interference penalties against cornerback Riley Moss. The group took issue with more than one, but Moss also acknowledged a need to play with better technique and grab less. The penalty total dropped as the season hit the back stretch and Moss played well overall as the most-targeted corner in football, but he had occasional lapses in tackling, too, especially against Jacksonville.<\/p>\n
The Unknown<\/p>\n
The Broncos have an interesting set of decisions to make in the secondary and it could lead to either major change this offseason or could still be a year away yet. They revolve around McMillian, Moss and rookie first-round pick Jahdae Barron. Barron was drafted as a nickel primarily who can also play outside. McMillian is a restricted free agent whom teammates think should have been an All-Pro in 2025. Moss is a really good player \u2014 talented, athletic and wired to handle the attention opposite Surtain \u2014 but also at times got himself in trouble in coverage. He\u2019s going into the final year of his rookie contract.<\/p>\n
McMillian is going to command top-scale money, if not in the form of an extension this offseason, then a year from now as an impending unrestricted free agent. Barron\u2019s going to play at some point, but in April, he looked like a potential McMillian replacement and now McMillian looks like exactly the type of player you want to extend and keep around. So does Barron compete with Moss outside? Do they keep it status-quo this year, let Moss walk in free agency and turn loose Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine to compete for the job across from Surtain? Do they entertain the idea of trading McMillian?<\/p>\n
Nothing except putting a premium tender on McMillian has to happen in the coming months, but the way the Broncos sequence their moves here will be interesting nonetheless.<\/p>\n
A record sack season<\/p>\n
Player
\nPosition
\nSacks<\/p>\n
Nik Bonitto
\nOLB
\n14<\/p>\n
Jonathon Cooper
\nOLB
\n8<\/p>\n
John Franklin-Myers
\nDL
\n7.5<\/p>\n
Zach Allen
\nDT
\n7<\/p>\n
Justin Strnad
\nILB
\n4.5<\/p>\n
Ja\u2019Quan McMillian
\nCB
\n4<\/p>\n
Malcolm Roach
\nDT
\n4<\/p>\n
Dondrea Tillman
\nOLB
\n4<\/p>\n
Eyioma Uwazurike
\nDT
\n3.5<\/p>\n
D.J. Jones
\nDT
\n3<\/p>\n
Jonah Elliss
\nOLB
\n2.5<\/p>\n
Talanoa Hufanga
\nS
\n2<\/p>\n
Riley Moss
\nCB
\n1<\/p>\n
Alex Singleton
\nILB
\n1<\/p>\n
Dre Greenlaw
\nILB
\n1<\/p>\n
Brandon Jones
\nS
\n0.5<\/p>\n
Que Robinson
\nOLB
\n0.5<\/p>\n