2026 Preview: The Defense

[Safety]

Our defense returns largely intact for 2026.

Vance Joseph returning really helps out.

Notable departures are JFM (Titans), Levi Wallace (retired this past week), P.J. Locke (Cowboys), Greenlaw (49'ers).

The big, glaring questions on defense is who steps up and replaces the loss of JFM? And what happens to Jonathan Cooper?

Who steps up after John Franklin-Myers’ free agency exit? | Broncos analysis: Defensive line

The Denver Gazette examines different Broncos position groups before the start of training camp with rookies reporting Wednesday: Defensive line Projected starters —DE Zach Allen —NT D.J. Jones —DE Eyioma Uwazurike Projected backups —DE Sai’vion Jones —NT Malcolm Roach —DE Tyler Onyedim Roster...

www.denvergazette.com

A lot of fans scoff and say it's no big loss regarding JFM. But is it? I have confidence in Payton and Joseph, but if they overestimate his replacement and underestimate his departure, the run could be suspect and a big weak point for the defense in 2026. I watched JFM against the Cowboys and he was straight up a monster in that game as well as others.

The Broncos need SOMEONE to step in and equalize the production of JFM or exceed it for this to be a non-issue. Is the rookie out of Texas A&M ready to step up and fill the shoes of JFM? Or Sai'vion Jones? Time will tell.

The Broncos didn't exactly resolve their ILB issues either in free agency or the draft. Alex Singleton is 32 and a liability in pass coverage. Red Murdock is intriguing but lets face it, Mr. Irrelevant's don't typically pan out but I'm rooting for the guy. It would be awesome if he turned out to be a Fred Warner caliber pick (sans the constant injuries). Jonathan Cooper will no doubt be suspended for a portion of the season which will be a big loss. It'll be a miracle if the Broncos don't move on from him.

The secondary should be strong and elite. S Miles Scott should get a chance to prove himself as an adequate replacement for P.J. Locke.

What do you all think?

Personally, I think this is a unit that will be similar to last year, but will struggle to close out 3rd downs and force punts. Pass rushing should be close to elite again but I don't think they have the sack production they did last year. The secondary shutdown play should be in prime form. It's the soft underbelly I'm concerned with at JFM's position and the linebacker's corps to contain the run and defend the pass.

I'll have my previews for The Offense, Special Teams and the Coaching Staff later this week unless others want to take point and post up their assessments for those three aspects.

Go ahead and discuss.

 

[Orange Crush77]

I think JFM is a big loss. He was very solid to great for us. Hopefully our draft depth pays off

 

[Orange Crush77]

That being said, Vance’s system is very pass rusher friendly. Blitz packages to the point of chaos. Not sure JFM can produce those numbers in another system

 

[SpringStein]

I’m interested to see how good uwarzuike will be. I think we might be ok, but having to replace good players is part of the NFL. That position and CB to me are the really interesting positions to watch. Is Barron really going to play as few % of snaps this year than he did last year? With Moss, McMillan and Barron, how does that shape up with playing time for 2 roles?

 

[Draft Crazy]

I think JFM is a big loss. He was very solid to great for us. Hopefully our draft depth pays off

Agree but we prepared ourselves to be able to let him walk, IMO and we paid the right guys. As well as JFM has played he was the right contract to let walk over the others, IMO ... and that has nothing to do with production.

 

[Safety]

Agree but we prepared ourselves to be able to let him walk, IMO and we paid the right guys. As well as JFM has played he was the right contract to let walk over the others, IMO ... and that has nothing to do with production.

Why do you say this?

 

[Orange Crush77]

Why do you say this?

I think it’s the nature of the beast. You can’t pay everyone and JFM got a huge contract. It was inevitable. We have Nix’s contract coming up, McMilan, Moss, Mims on their final year. One thing I’ll never question Paton on is his ability to get the right guys under contract for the right price. The Wilson debacle being an outlier. Getting Surtain, Bonito, Courtland at the deals he got was masterclass, and the timing was impeccable. The JFM trade itself was highway robbery on Paton’s part. Our draft over the past couple seasons was the writing on the wall for JFM and ultimately I think we will be fine and I’m excited to see what we got. JFM was a beast for us though and certainly earned every penny of that monster deal

 

[Draft Crazy]

Why do you say this?

Because that’s the reality of how it went down. That’s the business of professional sports. Us fans would love to pay every player that plays well, but you just can’t simply do that. You have to prepare for more than just one season coming up when it comes to contracts and being able to pay who you have to pay. Age factors into this.

 

[cdumler7]

Because that’s the reality of how it went down. That’s the business of professional sports. Us fans would love to pay every player that plays well, but you just can’t simply do that. You have to prepare for more than just one season coming up when it comes to contracts and being able to pay who you have to pay. Age factors into this.

Guys going into 3rd contracts rarely live up to them. JFM at his contract last year was a steal...would we keep viewing him that same way when he is making big money for the position? I loved JFM but you are right it is the name of the game and the Broncos have tried to prepare for some of these big contracts. Barron at CB knowing you have 2 starters hitting the market at the same time. One of Moss or McMillian is gone after this season if not both.

Same goes for JFM's spot. You have Uwa that showed some flashes last season on top of taking Sai'vion Jones. At some point you have to trust in your draft process that some of them can take over for good players.

 

[cdumler7]

Honestly I do expect maybe a little regression in some areas for this defense but also in one big area a big leap. So it could equal itself out in I do think Red Zone/3rd down defense will be tough to repeat. At the same time I don't think the Broncos could ever get worse when it comes to turnovers. I would expect this defense to be much more consistent in forcing turnovers that should lead to the offense having more opportunities to score.

 

[Mountain Bronco]

Honestly I do expect maybe a little regression in some areas for this defense but also in one big area a big leap. So it could equal itself out in I do think Red Zone/3rd down defense will be tough to repeat. At the same time I don't think the Broncos could ever get worse when it comes to turnovers. I would expect this defense to be much more consistent in forcing turnovers that should lead to the offense having more opportunities to score.

I hope you are right but I think the LB's are a real weak spot and they impact turnovers. Broncos were better with Strnad on the field that with Greenlaw last year so it was the right move to keep him, but Singleton while being an important piece for leadership leaves a lot to be desired especially in coverage. There was really no effort to upgrade other than around the margins. Hopefully a young guy steps up otherwise if this defense regresses we will look back at the lack of improvements to a weak ILB core as the culprit.

JFM is a tougher loss than people make it out to be as he made some really huge and timely plays last year, but I get why they did it and they have tried to be ready to fill that loss with a few different options in Enyi, Savion and the rookie Onyedim among others. Savion has all the physical tools and if he can develop he could be a star at the position. DL take time though so it could take another year to really show out.

My verdict is the defense should be good but they could regress a little bit away from the amazing season they had last year. Hopefully the offense can pick up a little slack and take some pressure off the defense as they faded down the stretch do to the work load they had to take on.

 

[cdumler7]

I hope you are right but I think the LB's are a real weak spot and they impact turnovers. Broncos were better with Strnad on the field that with Greenlaw last year so it was the right move to keep him, but Singleton while being an important piece for leadership leaves a lot to be desired especially in coverage. There was really no effort to upgrade other than around the margins. Hopefully a young guy steps up otherwise if this defense regresses we will look back at the lack of improvements to a weak ILB core as the culprit.

JFM is a tougher loss than people make it out to be as he made some really huge and timely plays last year, but I get why they did it and they have tried to be ready to fill that loss with a few different options in Enyi, Savion and the rookie Onyedim among others. Savion has all the physical tools and if he can develop he could be a star at the position. DL take time though so it could take another year to really show out.

My verdict is the defense should be good but they could regress a little bit away from the amazing season they had last year. Hopefully the offense can pick up a little slack and take some pressure off the defense as they faded down the stretch do to the work load they had to take on.

I would agree. I do think there is a decent chance we see some regression. And agree the LB core is one I wish the Broncos had figured out how to get some level of upgrade. It isn't the worst in the league but at best they are a net neutral group. Where I am hoping for some improvement that I think we could see is the secondary. Barron in 2nd year, Moss and McMillian on contract seasons, Jones back healthy for safety. This is why I think some of the turnovers could see a nice uptick from last year to this year. Hopefully that is enough to counter maybe some regression up front. There are some teams that really do scare me when it comes to how they match up with our defense. The Ravens and Bills really come to mind. Both have big OL's, strong run game, and a QB that can beat you with their legs. Those seem to be the teams we struggle with most.

 

[Mountain Bronco]

Well Nix just needs to outplay Josh Allen for the second game in a row then

 

[Draft Crazy]

LB core is ok. We aren't lacking edge rushers although the Cooper situation makes it a little less appealing. However, we have plenty of young players who look like they are ready to step up into bigger roles if needed.

ILB- Like Carl said. It could be better. Not worth panicking about but surely the ILB position is not exactly how we were hoping it would end up this offseason. I was happy to re-sign Strnad but was also sorta looking at grabbing that hopeful big time ILB in the draft. When we traded for Waddle it was clear that was tough to expect. It could be way worse but it was also an area we really wanted to see our Broncos focus a bit more on this offseason.

As a DB who this is probably my favorite Denver Broncos secondary of my lifetime.

 

[Safety]

I hope you are right but I think the LB's are a real weak spot and they impact turnovers. Broncos were better with Strnad on the field that with Greenlaw last year so it was the right move to keep him, but Singleton while being an important piece for leadership leaves a lot to be desired especially in coverage. There was really no effort to upgrade other than around the margins. Hopefully a young guy steps up otherwise if this defense regresses we will look back at the lack of improvements to a weak ILB core as the culprit.

JFM is a tougher loss than people make it out to be as he made some really huge and timely plays last year, but I get why they did it and they have tried to be ready to fill that loss with a few different options in Enyi, Savion and the rookie Onyedim among others. Savion has all the physical tools and if he can develop he could be a star at the position. DL take time though so it could take another year to really show out.

My verdict is the defense should be good but they could regress a little bit away from the amazing season they had last year. Hopefully the offense can pick up a little slack and take some pressure off the defense as they faded down the stretch do to the work load they had to take on.

I'm seeing a lot of chatter about Riley Moss potentially being traded before the season starts because we're not going to be able to pay him the contract he is playing himself into.

Paton would be wise to trade him for a top tier ILB and a 3rd round pick.

 

[cdumler7]

I'm seeing a lot of chatter about Riley Moss potentially being traded before the season starts because we're not going to be able to pay him the contract he is playing himself into.

Paton would be wise to trade him for a top tier ILB and a 3rd round pick.

He's definitely been thrown out there for a trade. If they do (I don't want them to do it) then yes I would hope it is for a player that can help this year. Broncos being in a Super Bowl or bust type season cannot afford to lose talent. I love Barron and his potential, but I would rather keep the CB position deep and give Joseph some moving pieces to really make life hard on QB's in this league.

 

[Draft Crazy]

We are a Super Bowl contending team we aren't trading our starting CB right before the season starts. Come on folks!

 

[Mountain Bronco]

We are a Super Bowl contending team we aren't trading our starting CB right before the season starts. Come on folks!

Agreed, and I think Moss is one of the best CB2's in the league. That said if you could get a game changer at ILB for him, which I don't think you would, perhaps it would be worth exploring if Barron flashes.

 

[cdumler7]

Agreed, and I think Moss is one of the best CB2's in the league. That said if you could get a game changer at ILB for him, which I don't think you would, perhaps it would be worth exploring if Barron flashes.

Even there though the Broncos just signed Strnad and Singleton to decent size starting level contracts for the position. You don't usually spend that money then turn around and say "sorry nevermind." The only way I could see the Broncos doing something like Moss for someone is if an injury happens early in camp and Barron is looking really good. Say Singleton (knock on wood) goes down with injury a couple of weeks into the start of training camp then I could see the Broncos pivot pretty quickly calling around to see who needs a CB and has an extra LB they can afford to lose.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Turn off the video game consoles.

Anything at this point is going to be pretty minor barring a Micah Parsons contract like situation.