The Denver Broncos had one of the best defenses in the NFL in 2024 as that unit helped lead the franchise to its first postseason appearance in nine years, when the No Fly Zone led the orange and blue to victory in Super Bowl 50. The pass rush was outstanding last year, but the coverage started to waver towards the end of the season outside of Pat Surtain II, who was rightfully voted as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Outside of Surtain, the group of Brandon Jones, Riley Moss, Ja’Quan McMillian and others saw a lot of action through the air. While the Broncos had the third-best rush defense in the league, the pass defense finished in 19th, allowing 220.7 yards per game. Especially in the safety room, someone needed to step up with Justin Simmons no longer in the room after he was cut in the 2024 offseason, and Jones was the guy to do so.
The 27-year-old from Texas led the team in tackles with 115, had the second-most interceptions with three and was tied the second-most pass deflections with 10 (McMillian). All of those were career-highs for him after spending his first five seasons in Miami, and put him in some conversations with some of the league’s top safeties.
WE'LL TAKE THAT. 👐
📺: FOX | @BlessedJones33 pic.twitter.com/QUmfPpHoQy
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 22, 2024
However, league scouts, executives and coaches didn’t second that notion, as they didn’t have the Broncos’ top safety in their top 10 on Thursday. He was listed as an honorable mention as he just missed the cut.
A “veteran AFC scout” had good things to say about Jones, saying he “has a knack for being around the ball. Very good instincts, tough and willing tackler. Doesn’t stand out athletically as elite, but he puts himself in good spots and is a very smart football player. I think he’s a little underrated.”
Talanoa Hufanga, who the Broncos picked up in free agency to add some depth to the room, also received some votes, but not enough to be considered as an honorable mention, likely due to his inability to stay on the field the last two seasons (17 combined games played in 2023 and 2024). If he’s able to be healthy for Denver and play like the wrecking ball he was for San Francisco in 2022, he’s better than a lot of the players on this list.
HOT HANDZZ ‼️@fred_warner with the pick 6! #GoNiners pic.twitter.com/OvfSkJM4m7
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 22, 2019
Is Seattle’s Julian Love better than Brandon Jones? What about Arizona’s Budda Baker? It’s definitely close, and these rankings show just how many great safeties there are in the NFL this year. The guys on the list have had multiple elite seasons as the anchor of their respective defenses, while Jones has only had one in Denver. If he can put together another stellar campaign in 2025, he should be able to see his name on the list at this time next year.