For the Broncos on the interior defensive line, it’s not just Zach Allen cranking up the pressure. It never has been such since he first joined the team in 2023.
But while Allen deservedly earned the first All-Pro selection of his career in 2025 when he completed his third-straight season of at least 40 quarterback hits — putting him in Aaron Donald territory — it was John Franklin-Myers who led the defensive line in sacks last season, with a half-sack more than Allen’s 7-sack tally.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Any time you lose a great player, you know there’s going to be a big hole that you’ve gotta replace,” defensive lineman Malcolm Roach said.
And that goes beyond the on-field production.
“But also when you lose a great friend, a great brother, it kinda hits hard. But it’s the business of this,” Roach said.
“… Just understanding that, we know everybody has a job to do, everybody wants to do their job at a high level, and everybody in the room, I feel like, is ready.”
So, when you look at the Broncos’ defensive line, the question is simple: How do you replace Franklin-Myers’ 7.5 sacks and 15 quarterback hits overall?
In the parlance of “Moneyball,” it’s likely to involve generating that production from the aggregate up front. Roach and D.J. Jones should continue to maintain their roles, with Jones the gap-clogging massive presence in the first wave and Roach continuing to show all-around skills that saw him more than double his career sack total last year — from 3.5 in his first five seasons to 4.0 last year.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Losing JFM, we got multiple guys who have to play those roles, and maybe it’s different roles,” Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said.
The Broncos’ recent draft investment helps, and 2025 third-rounder Sai’vion Jones and this year’s third-round pick, Tyler Onyedim, give the Broncos two developmental arrows to fire.
“We drafted this position to replace those veteran guys,” Joseph said.
Jones’ presence was limited to the practice field last year. With room for only five defensive linemen on the game-day active roster last year, Jones and then-second-year veteran Jordan Jackson found themselves in workout gear on the sideline more often than not.
But Jones could find himself working towards a sub-package, pass-rush specialist role — something Joseph indicated last month.
“Maybe it’s a first-, second-down run-stopping role [for one player], and Sai’vion takes over the pass-rush role,” Joseph said. “So, we have options there.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Onyedim could work his way into that mix. But Enyi Uwazurike also emerged last year and will have a chance to work his way into a top-4 role after his career-best season last year — and the potential starter’s destination likely to come with it. That’s a massive win for a player who saw his career potentially derailed by a one-year suspension in 2023; last year, the Broncos’ patience paid dividends.
“You’re just glad he was able to hang in because a year may not seem like a lot, but a year for anyone in this sport is a long time. He’s doing well, practicing well. He has his weight right where it needs to be.”
“… He’s one of those guys [who] I think he is competing for more time.”
But he can’t stand pat, not with Jones and Onyedim, whose early progress in June was palpable — at least in Allen’s eyes.
“He’s got the hard part kind of down,” Allen said during OTAs. “You can definitely tell he has the physical traits, and then he’s got a good attitude. So, he’s always trying to learn, always asking questions. He really takes the film seriously — which is pretty rare for a young player, so, he’s been great.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The Broncos might not be able to fully replace what Franklin-Myers brought in terms of being a bold personality who brought the entire group together. Their defensive-line room had a special chemistry last season, and he was a significant component of it. But they have a chance to replicate his production, thanks to their mid-round investments of the last five drafts in Onyedim, Jones and the 2022 fourth-rounder Uwazurike.
View on Threads
ROUNDING OUT THE BRONCOS’ DEPTH
Matt Henningsen’s 2025 season ended last year when he tore an Achilles tendon during the joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers on Aug. 7. At the time, he appeared headed for the same position he had in 2024 — a spot on the Broncos’ practice squad.
The dynamic for him is roughly the same as it was last year; even though Franklin-Myers departed, the selection of Onyedim effectively makes him the potential No. 8 lineman in a group that will see no more than seven stick on the 53-player roster.
ADVERTISEMENT
But with 34 games of regular-season experience and a knack for making plays in preseason games and practices — as he did once again in June with a pick-six after deflecting a pass when he burst into the backfield — he can be a valuable insurance policy up front.
Kristian Williams returned on a reserve-future deal after being waived from injured reserve early in the regular season. First arriving as an undrafted signee last year, he flashed during training camp.
Jordan Miller has been a Broncos practice-squad player for the last two seasons, but continues to wait for his first regular-season opportunity. Good health from the linemen on the 53-player roster have prevented him from getting his chance. But with no undrafted rookies among the team’s D-linemen, Miller could stick once again.