The transformation of the Denver Broncos has been a sight to behold in recent years. After struggling with Russell Wilson, the switch to Bo Nix has brought out the best in the entire team.
With head coach Sean Payton revitalizing the franchise, the team has become a perennial contender in the AFC. Building their name on defense, one analyst believes the team is going to be just as dangerous as before, despite some changes to the roster.
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Injuries can be an impossible thing to predict in the NFL. But more often than not, they can completely change the outlook of the season. For the Broncos, who went into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, everything was lining up perfectly.
Defeating Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round, they had a date set with the New England Patriots for a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Unfortunately, Nix got hurt near the end of the game against the Bills, sidelining him for the AFC Championship Game.
As a result, they fell short with Jarrett Stidham standing under center. The offseason also saw major changes to the roster, including the key loss of John Franklin-Myers. But Jacob Infante of PFN believes the team should be able to maintain its elite defense.
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In a segment on PFN’s “The Hot List,” Infante said, “Even though they lost John Franklin-Myers, the Broncos still might have arguably the most fearsome trio of pass rushers in the NFL. When you’re looking at Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen, and Jonathon Cooper, that’s two top-flight edge rushers and one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL.”
Last season, Bonitto and Cooper ranked at No. 13 and No. 39 on PFN’s EDGE Impact Metric, respectively, while Allen was at No. 2 on PFN’s DT Impact Metric. As a result, the unit should have an extremely high floor this year as well.
“They led the NFL in sacks last season,” Infante added. “They had 68. And for reference, they had 11 more sacks than the second-place team, which was the [Atlanta] Falcons last year. So, the Broncos were so far ahead of the competition last season.”
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But it wasn’t just big-play hunting for the Broncos’ defense that made them such a feared unit. From start to finish, they stifled opponents, limiting any forward progress throughout the games.
“They were also second in the NFL in total yards allowed, 4,730,” Infante continued. “When you consider passing, you consider rushing; that’s an incredibly low mark to allow over the course of a single season. It also doesn’t hurt that they’ve got Pat Surtain, one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, and they’ve got a really good safety there as well, and Talanoa Hufanga in that secondary, too.”
As a unit, the Broncos finished at No. 4 on PFN’s Defense Impact Metric last season with an impact score of 87.3. Some of their losses, most notably with Franklin-Myers, could hurt them this upcoming season. But Infante still sees a lot of upside in the group they have in the locker room.
As a result, Infante concluded by saying, “At the end of the day, the Broncos’ defense; it’s such a loaded personnel. Vance Joseph’s a really good defensive coach.”
The pieces are in place for the Broncos to be an elite defensive team again this season and potentially continue their run near or at the top of the AFC, but it remains to be seen how they perform.
