Sixth in a series previewing the Broncos’ 2026 roster in the weeks leading up to the start of training camp in late July. Previously: Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends and offensive linemen.
On the roster (10): Zach Allen, D.J. Jones, Malcolm Roach, Tyler Onyedim, Eyioma Uwazurike, Sai’vion Jones, Jordan Jackson, Matt Henningsen, Kristian Williams, Jordan Miller
How many on the 53? Six to seven. The Broncos carried seven last year at this spot, and the top six names above are likely roster locks in training camp. Jackson has made the roster comfortably in each of the last two seasons, but played just five games in 2025 and then for head coach Sean Payton’s anger toward defensive staff for elevating him in the AFC wild-card game.
Most impactful offseason move: Letting John Franklin-Myers walk.
This was determined long before this offseason. But in a stretch where the Broncos prioritized retention to near-unfathomable degrees, Franklin-Myers’ absence looms as the most important departure from 2025’s roster to 2026. He finished third on Denver’s defense in sacks last season, with 7.5; more importantly, his ability to create interior pressure often teed up All-Pro Allen and the Broncos’ stable of outside linebackers.
“He was an impact player,” defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said in June. “After watching the cut-ups, you kind of realize what you’re missing there.”
The Broncos’ front office made an understandable choice to not extend Franklin-Myers on a long-term deal likely worth $15-million-plus a year, and will now recoup a valuable compensatory pick in 2027. But his absence will be felt, in one way or another. That leads directly into the subsequent section here.
Biggest question to answer in camp: Who steps up in place of Franklin-Myers?
Perhaps the answer is who doesn’t. Joseph clearly indicated during the Broncos’ offseason program that Franklin-Myers’ void could be filled by a sort of three-man rotation among Uwazurike, Sai’vion Jones and rookie Onyedim, with the athletic Jones perhaps in a third-down pass-rushing role.
Denver will carousel all of them during training camp, plus veterans Jackson and Henningsen, and see what cream ultimately rises. The early favorite is Uwazurike, who flashed legitimate starting-level potential with 3.5 sacks and 39 tackles as a reserve last season. Asked about replacing Franklin-Myers in 2026, Uwazurike told The Post at the end of the 2025 regular season that he felt he could “take over that role completely.” He’ll have his chance this summer.
Don’t count out Onyedim, though, who Denver’s defensive staff sees as an immediate potential Franklin-Myers replacement after drafting him in the third round this fall. And Roach could quietly pick up some of Franklin-Myers’ workload. More on that later.
Battle to watch: Sai’vion Jones vs. everybody for snaps.
After the Broncos moved up in the third round of the 2025 draft to nab Jones, the LSU product played exactly 39 total snaps in his rookie year. That was fine. And partly expected. Broncos general manager George Paton noted after the season that the staff knew Jones would “need a little development.”
“We were just so deep last year, itap tough for him to get in games,” Allen said in June. “But we saw in practice how great he was.”
The Broncos, now, need those glimpses in practice to show up in training camp. The 6-foot-5, 289-pound Jones has flashed the ability to push the pocket from the interior and blends an edge rusher’s speed with an interior rusher’s power. But he still needs work in the run game, as evidenced by Joseph’s suggestion that he could be a rotational pass-rusher. It would be a dream scenario for the Broncos if Jones shows in camp he’s ready, at least, to take up Uwazurike’s 36% defensive snap share from last season.
Under the radar: Roach.
The Sixth Man might become the Fifth Man on Denver’s defensive line, soon enough. The Broncos extended Roach on a three-year deal worth over $29 million total in November, a not-insubstantial number; clearly, Denver prioritized retaining Roach at a lower number rather than shelling out for Franklin-Myers. And Roach quietly put together a standout season on the interior in 2025, with six total sacks and six tackles for loss in 14 games between the regular season and playoffs.
“I felt like I was rushing the way I play the run game,” Roach told The Post in June. “And I know how to play the run game, so by me rushing like that, I knew, like, I wasn’t thinking. It’s just the instincts kicking in.”
For two seasons in Denver, Roach has been generally thought of as a one-two punch at nose tackle, behind starter D.J. Jones. But Roach clearly has the greater ability to create pressure from different gaps along the defensive line. It’s possible, ultimately, that Denver’s Franklin-Myers replacement has been staring everyone in the face all along.
