The Denver Broncos don’t have many holes on their defense, which was the driving force behind the franchise making the playoffs for the first time in a decade in 2024.
While there might be some push to try and upgrade at certain positions — most notably at safety — there’s solid players who aren’t superstars at other spots who could be vital to the Broncos’ success moving forward.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon listed Denver inside linebacker Cody Barton as the one free agent the team needs to bring back in 2025 — picking Barton over defensive tackle D.J. Jones.
“It’s either Barton or D.J. Jones, simply because it would be ideal for the Broncos to bring back one of the two key free-agent front-seven defenders within a defense that was excellent in 2024. Barton is younger and has more upside,” Gagnon wrote on February 26.
What the Broncos get in Barton is a consistent force at one of the more undervalued positions on NFL defenses. Barton has been a fountain of production over the last 3 seasons with 3 consecutive years of over 100 tackles on 3 different teams, including arguably his most well-rounded stat line in 2024: 106 tackles, 2 interceptions, 5 pass deflections, 2.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks and 1 fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.
Barton played 2024 on a 1-year, $2.5 million contract and Spotrac projects his market value as a 2-year, $13.1 million contract that seems like a bit of a reach. The Broncos might still be able to land Barton with a 2-year, $10 million offer or even a 1-year, $6 million offer.
The Barton Family Is More Athletic Than Your Family
Both of Barton’s parents, Paul and Mikki, were 2-sport athletes at the University of Utah in the late 1980s. Paul played football and baseball and was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays. Mikki played basketball and volleyball and is in Utah’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
Barton’s older brother, Jackson Barton, played for Utah as well and is an offensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals in his seventh NFL season. Jackson also won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs following the 2019 season.
Barton’s younger sister, Dani, is an outside hitter for the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team and the greatest volleyball player in Utah history, where she’s the program’s career leader in kills, sets played, matches played and attempts. Barton’s younger brother, Lander, also played linebacker at Utah and is a projected third round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, according to Bleacher Report.
Barton Emerged as Full Time Starter in 2022
Barton was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round (No. 88 overall) of the 2019 NFL draft out of Utah and backed up future Pro Football Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner for his first 3 seasons before becoming a full time starter in 2022, when he finished with 136 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2.0 sacks, 4 TFL and 6 pass deflections.
He played 2023 on a 1-year, $3.5 million contract with the Washington Commanders and finished with 121 tackles in 13 starts. In 2024, Barton was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after returning a fumble 52 yards for a touchdown to go with 8 tackles, 1.0 sacks and 1 forced fumble in a 33-10 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 7.
