The Denver Broncos had one of the better defenses in the NFL a season ago, which didn't come as much of a surprise, as Sean Payton was finally able to get a few of the guys he wanted on his defense.
Payton is one of the top defensive head coaches in the NFL, and if his unit stays healthy moving forward, the Broncos have to feel confident about what they can do on that side of the football.
However, there could be a few moves the Broncos make to save their defense long term. With multiple contract situations coming up over the next year, Denver will have to be smart in what it does, making somebody like John Franklin-Myers movable. In a recent prediction from Pro Football Network, they predicted that the Broncos will move on from him in a deal this offseason.
“The Broncos have a pair of big defensive line contracts coming up in Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen, who are both free agents next offseason. That will squeeze some players out by necessity, as Denver won’t be able to pay everyone on their No. 1-ranked defense. John Franklin-Myers, another starting defensive lineman entering the last year of his deal in 2025, also falls into that category.
“Franklin-Myers had a career-high 7.0 sacks during his first year with the Broncos in 2024. However, he’s been an underrated pass rusher for a while, dating back to his time with the Jets. Since 2020, Franklin-Myers has recorded a 14.4% pressure rate. That ranks 13th out of 159 players with 1,000+ pass rush snaps in that span. He’s been above 14% each of the last three seasons as well, delivering consistently above-average production,” he wrote.
After being selected in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams, Franklin-Myers hasn't been great at the NFL level.
He's spent the bulk of his career with the New York Jets before joining the Broncos, where he didn't post more than six sacks in a season.
During his first year with the Broncos, he posted seven sacks and 40 tackles, playing better than ever. While he was a decent player for Denver, the other pieces are more important, and having money for them should be the plan.
