Despite those results, Pro Football Focus ranked the Broncos’ defensive line eighth in the NFL. This rating had seven-year veteran John Franklin-Myers retweeting PFF’s list and reacting, “Yo who made this dumbass list?”
Franklin-Myers cannot believe that the Broncos’ defensive line is getting some disrespect despite leading the league in sacks last season. No wonder he reacted this way after seeing the Broncos behind the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, and the Cleveland Browns. Likewise, two of the seven teams ranked above Denver (Giants and Browns) did not make last year’s playoffs.
Furthermore, none of the Broncos’ defensive linemen received a PFF grade lower than 60.9. Franklin-Myers, now in the final year of his two-year, $15 million contract, had an impressive 78.3, while Eyioma Uwazurike earned a 76.2 grade.
Coincidentally, PFF is the same entity that had reigning Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II ranked as the league’s second-best quarterback behind the New York Jets’ Sauce Gardner. After the 2024 season, PFF also placed Surtain second behind Cooper DeJean among the highest-graded cornerbacks.
The Broncos Believe the Collective is Better than the Sum of Its Parts
As PFF’s Dalton Wasserman pointed out last June 5, the Broncos were the NFL’s best team in the standard pass rush featuring four or fewer defensive linemen. They finished the 2024 season with a 39.3 percent pressure rate, slightly higher than the Browns’ 38.2 percent. The Seattle Seahawks (36.6 percent), Eagles (35.5 percent), and the Lions (35.2 percent) complete the top five.
Wasserman wrote, “Denver, like Philadelphia, relies on defensive line depth to fuel its pressure. Including the postseason, the Broncos had four different linemen log at least 50 pressures and eight sacks.”
The Broncos’ relentless pursuit of the quarterback led to favorable results. Likewise, the balanced attack made Denver’s pass rush tougher to read. While edge rushers Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper had the biggest share with 24 combined sacks, Franklin-Myers and Zach Allen had 8.5 combined sacks.
ESPN Analyst Gives the Broncos Defense its Flowers
During the June 27 episode of NFL Live, Mina Kimes selected the Broncos as the NFL’s best defense over the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens. She said, “I’m going with the Denver Broncos. The Denver Broncos, who last year were first over the course of the entire season in both EPA play and success rate. And I think they got better.”
Kimes pointed out that in addition to Bonitto and Cooper’s sacking prowess, Allen ranked third in pass rush win rate. The Broncos also addressed their weakness at linebacker by adding Dre Greenlaw.
Finally, she had nothing but praise for the defensive secondary. “Good lord. Patrick Surtain, Defensive Player of the Year. Riley Moss. You throw in Jahdae Barron at nickel. You have Talanoa Hufanga, who’s a ball-hawking safety.”
Kimes’ co-host, Marcus Spears, agreed with her list, saying that the Broncos defense will become a “major issue” for offenses, regardless of whether they attack on the ground or through the air.
