Had Denver Broncos GM George Paton asked for inside info on new free-agent signings Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga, defensive lineman D.J. Jones would have provided it. Jones spent three seasons playing alongside Greenlaw with the San Francisco 49ers, and once Hufanga joined forces, they went all the way to Super Bowl LVI.
On the heels of Jones' three-year extension, the Broncos have seemingly stripped the 49ers roster bear, but when you hear the veteran defensive tackle's glowing appraisal of his former colleagues turned teammates, you understand why Paton was so eager to get Greenlaw and Hufanga signed.
"We're getting game-changers. We've already got some game-changers," Jones told Aric DiLalla of the team website. "We've got Zach Allen, we've got a Pat Surtain II—but now we're getting game-changers that are going to make everybody else become game-changers. What we're getting is people that know ball, play ball at a high level and all they want to do is ball. That's it. They've got the right juice about themselves.
"I'm so excited. I'm more excited for them than I am for this new deal. I'm not lying. I can't put it into words, so I'll just let their actions show how I feel."
Free agency has been Paton's tip of the spear thus far, and Jones has also benefited from the Broncos' desire to keep their key guys in-house. Snagging both Greenlaw and Hufanga was the team's maneuver to fill the holes on a defense that was exposed in the playoffs, notable fractures that also became all-too apparent going down the stretch.
The general consensus has been that if these new additions can stay fit, the Broncos defense can mount an attack from every position on the field. Jones is already well aware of the dynamic impact his former/new teammates can have on a team with championship aspirations.
Once this new collection of defensive avengers takes the field in 2025, Jones feels that setting a dominant tone will pay early dividends.
"When you have a defense that when you go from [player]1 to 11 and you look at each name and you can't really find a weakness in what they're doing, that's a tough team to go against," Jones said. "That's a tough team to go against, and that's what we've got right now.
"Right now, I'm more excited for the first day of practice than anything, so everyone can see what's coming. We're going to make each other better. Everybody's going to make each other better."
Adding such high-profile puzzle pieces was never going to come cheap for the Broncos, and given the injury history of both Greenlaw and Hufanga, it's also a calculated risk that Paton is boldly determined to take.
Building a truly elite championship-caliber defense requires swinging for the fences by adding that vital extra element of spice into the gumbo — just ask the 2015 World Champion Broncos (DeMarcus Ware/Aqib Talib/T.J. Ward free-agent class of 2014) — and quarterback Bo Nix will be first up to taste it in practice when OTAs roll around.
