The Denver Broncos defense was one of the best in the league last season. One of the reasons why was the improved play of their defensive line. This season, the group is poised to be even better than last year.
The Denver Broncos endured a lot of success on the defensive side of the ball in 2024. There was a night and day difference between 2023 and last season. Top-tier play in the trenches a large factor in their ability to buck a decade drought of missing the post season.
They were much better against the run, and their ability to get after the quarterback was a key reason why the franchise led the league in sacks. Continuity along the defensive line is a draw for the Broncos this season and it’s expected that they will keep performing at a high level.
They are slated to bring back their top four players with respect to snap share for their 2025 campaign and even added to the unit in the third round of this past draft. Let’s take a deeper look at the Broncos’ defensive line for the coming season.
Note: The team’s edge rushers will be featured in their own positional review as opposed to being lumped in here.
2025 Denver Broncos Defensive Line Review
Zach Allen — All-Pro Starter
When the Broncos signed Zach Allen several years ago to replace Dre’Mont Jones, it wasn’t immediately clear that it was the right call. Fast forward two years later and all of Broncos Country knows it was a great decision. One player has continued his ascent to one of the better interior defensive linemen in the league, while the other has floated into obscurity.
In his sixth year in the NFL, Allen put together his best season of his career. He racked up 61 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 40 quarterback hits, and 8.5 sacks. His production earned him second-team All-Pro honors. Entering the final year of his three-year, $45.75 million dollar deal, Allen is on the verge of a significant pay raise that will likely make him one of the highest-paid defensive linemen in football.
Allen should be another impact player for the Broncos in 2025. Last season, he played nearly 84-percent of the total defensive snaps. That’s an incredibly high number and I expect that to drop down a tick. However, I still feel his production will be on par to last season.
Coming off a career year, Zach Allen has helped his market value on a #Broncos deal which would keep him in place well beyond 2025:https://t.co/8Zg5Z2EwKP
— Pro Football Rumors (@pfrumors) July 6, 2025
John Franklin-Myers — Underrated Starter
On Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft, General Manager George Paton crafted a trade to bring John Franklin-Myers to the Mile High City to improve their defensive trenches. All it cost was a late-round pick swap.
The addition of Franklin-Myers to the Broncos’ defensive front was a great move. In his first season with the Broncos, the former New York Jet had a quality year and posted career highs with respect to tackles and sacks. His ability to rush the passer and also defend the run helped transform the unit’s overall play.
Like Allen, Franklin-Myers is in the last year of his deal. I’m not sure the Broncos will wind up extending both of them, but each certainly deserve a pay raise. Nevertheless, Franklin-Myers is a quality starter whose play will continue to keep their trenches formidable for this season. He was a great addition to the lineup and the Broncos are lucky to have him.
D.J. Jones — Starting Nose Tackle
Three off-season’s ago, the Broncos signed D.J. Jones to a three-year, $30 million dollar contract to address a significant need at nose tackle.
Over the past three seasons, Jones has appeared 48 games with 48 starts wearing the orange and blue and proved to be a steady contributor for the team. Earlier this spring, the Broncos extended Jones again to keep him in the Mile High City for a few more seasons. He is one of the better run defenders in the league and does a good job in that respect.
While he may not have eye-popping sack numbers, he is able to generate some pocket push on occasion and disrupt the timing and rhythm of opposing quarterbacks is an added bonus. He should continue to be a valuable player for the Broncos’ defensive line this year.
Broncos defensive lineman D.J. Jones is set to hit free agency next month, but teammate Zach Allen would love to see the team re-sign Jones.
“He’s one of my favorite teammates ever, both off the field and on,” Allen said last month. “What he does for us on first, second down is… pic.twitter.com/aethgN8hfD
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) February 18, 2025
Malcolm Roach —Reliable Veteran Backup and Rotational Player
The Broncos signed Malcom Roach last free agency period to a two-year deal to add a veteran presence to the defensive front alongside the free aforementioned starters.
While it didn’t get much attention in the grand scheme of things, Roach proved to be a key rotational piece for Vance Joseph’s defense. In fact, he played slightly more snaps overall than Jones last year. Roach is a quality run defender and a big reason why their run defense experienced a significant turnaround. He also put up the best numbers of his career in ‘24.
Like Allen and Franklin-Myers, he is also in the final year of his contract. If he continues to play well and impress, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him earn an extension.
Saiv’ion Jones — The Intriguing Rookie
With Allen, Franklin-Myers, and Roach all playing on the final year of their contracts, the Broncos were wise to add a prospect with future starting potential to their trenches. The Broncos moved up into the third round late on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft and selected LSU defensive lineman Sai’vion Jones.
Jones has the size and traits you want at the position and explosive upside that will likely see him earn a starting spot in 2026. For his rookie season, I believe he will be able to earn a respectable number of snaps as a rotational defender. He’s a versatile player that will play both inside and out in Joseph’s defensive front.
Everyone Else — Fighting for the Sixth Spot in the DL Rotation
I think the first five spots are pretty clear. After that? It’s going to be one heck of a competition for the sixth and final spot on the roster. Jordan Jackson, Matt Henningsen, Jordan Miller, Eyioma Uwazurike and Kristian Williams will be battling it out.
On the outside looking in, I’d guess Jackson or Uwazurike would be the early favorites. Jackson played a decent number of snaps last year, and I’m hoping that Uwazurike can live up to the potential he showed coming out in the draft several years ago. Last year, they carried six on the defensive line, and I think that will be the case this season too.
Final Thoughts
In my opinion, the top five players in the Broncos’ defensive line rotation are easy to piece together. It’s that sixth and final spot that seems to have the most ambiguity. Nevertheless, I really like that they have their top four from last year coming back. Moreover, I think Jones will offer another unique dynamic to their rotation that will help them play even better than last season.