2025 Denver Broncos Training Camp: 3 storylines to watch on defense

After a long wait, the Denver Broncos have kicked off their 2025 training camp sessions. Mile High Report’s Christopher Hart gives you three major storylines to watch for with respect to the team’s defense.

Earlier today, I wrote about three storylines on offense to watch for during training camp for the Denver Broncos. For this article, let’s take that discussion to the opposite side of the ball. Here are three storylines I’m looking forward to watching over the course of training camp with respect to the defense. Feel free to give some of your top storylines to keep an eye on in the comments section.

Just how good can the Broncos’ secondary be in 2025?

When the Broncos traded Clinton Portis to the Washington Redskins for Champ Bailey and a second-round draft selection, Mike Shanahan finally acquired a true shutdown corner after years of searching. While Bailey never earned a Super Bowl ring with the Broncos, his pass defending prowess earned him enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Since then, a top-flight cornerback has been a mainstay in the team’s secondary over the years. Players like Aqib Talib, Chris Harris, Jr. and now Patrick Surtain II, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, became household names and premier players at the position. Broncos Country has been incredibly blessed to witness such high-profile players locking down opposing team’s wide receivers.

I have a feeling this secondary this season is going to be much better than last season. In addition to Surtain, the Broncos are also set to bring back Riley Moss, Ja’Quan McMillian, and Kris Abrams-Draine at cornerback. That’s a good core four of corners, but they also added versatile defensive back Jahdae Barron into the fold via the 2025 NFL Draft.

Last year’s Jim Thorpe Award winner, Barron has the ability to play both inside and out in Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph’s defense. While everyone is talking about Evan Engram’s role as a ‘joker’ on offense, Barron could very well be one of the team’s most versatile defenders in coverage as a rookie due to his ball skills and versatility. If he makes an impact for the team in year one, opposing offenses are going to have a tough time moving the ball consistently against Denver’s defense.

Let’s not forget about the safeties. Last year the team struck gold adding Brandon Jones at safety to replace long-time veteran Justin Simmons. He was one of the best free agent additions of any team last offseason. This free agency cycle, the Broncos added Talanoa Hufanga to start alongside him. Though injuries have marred his past two seasons, Hufanga was once an All-Pro player. If he can revert to prior form, the Broncos may just have one of the best safety duos in the NFL.

In the past decade, the Broncos have fielded a lot of quality secondaries. The No-Fly Zone comes to mind as one of the all-time best in league history. It might be bold, but I think the potential of this year’s defensive backs might give that historic unit a run for their money. How this unit progresses and develops over the course of training camp is one of my top storylines to watch for.

Can Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton become a top-tier inside linebacking duo?

Last season, the Broncos fielded Cody Barton and Justin Strnad at inside linebacker. Overall, I felt they played admirably. However, their limitations—especially in coverage— seemed to be exposed and more pronounced toward the end of the season.

In one of their first big moves in free agency, the Broncos made a significant investment by signing former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw to a multi-year deal. When healthy, Greenlaw has proven to be a formidable defender at inside linebacker. He is a quality run defender and really excels in coverage. Unfortunately, his ability to stay healthy has been a significant issue throughout his entire professional career.

Slated to start alongside him is veteran Alex Singleton. Like Greenlaw, Singleton is also returning from an injury that sidelined him most all of last season. Overall, I feel their skillsets complement each other well. If healthy, they certainly could be one of the better duos in the league. Though as I’ve said in other articles—that’s a big if.

Without a doubt, this is the biggest question mark and concern on the entire roster. I feel very comfortable about the status of most every other position group. How these two perform when they are on the field might be the difference between being a really good defense versus an elite one.

With that in mind, I’m also excited to see how Levelle Bailey, as well as the team’s group of undrafted rookies at the position perform. If either of the top two were to miss time, Strnad would likely fill the void. Nevertheless, I’m interested in seeing of the younger players on the roster can showcase the ability to potentially become starters down the road.

Will the Broncos come to extension agreements with any of their trench players?

The Broncos’ defense put up a franchise record and league best 63 sacks in 2024. All key contributors at defensive line and edge rusher are set to be back for the 2025 season. That’s another big reason to be bullish about the potential of the secondary. They have one of the best front sevens in the league playing in front of them—proving quite a luxury most other franchises don’t have.

Continuity is why I’m expecting great things from the Broncos’ defensive front seven in 2025. I have very few concerns about their ability to play at a high level. However, I’m quite interested in whether or not the team comes to terms with extensions for some of their premier players up front before the start of the season.

Edge rusher Nik Bonitto, as well as defensive linemen Zach Allen and Jonathan Franklin-Myers all had the best seasons of their careers in ‘24. All three are in the final years of their contracts. And undoubtedly, all are expected to get significant raises in their next deals. It would be fantastic if the Broncos could find a way to keep all three. Alas, that might be hard to do, even with the amount of cap space they have down in future years. The 2025 campaign might be the last time we see those three play together.