Pass rushers in today’s NFL game are a premium asset, and the Denver Broncos have done well to build a quality room over the past few seasons. The Broncos defense was one of the best in the league last season, leading the NFL with 63 total sacks, nine more than the second-place Baltimore Ravens.
Though many of those sacks came via Vance Joseph’s ultra-aggressive defensive mindset, seemingly every player the Broncos featured had massive amounts of success getting after the quarterback. While there were some concerns in run defense, Denver has a trio of blossoming pass rushers coming from the outside, quality depth, and they have figured out how to abrogate the deficiencies against the run for the most part.
With free agency right around the corner, how should the Broncos approach bolstering the room in general? Let's start by examining
Edge defenders under contract in 2025: Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto, Jonah Elliss, Andrew Farmer
Bonitto had a breakout third year for the Broncos defense, leading the team with 13.5 sacks as well as scoring a couple of defensive touchdowns in back-to-back weeks down the stretch. Cooper had his play rewarded with a new four-year contract during the 2024 season, and Elliss proved to be a high-quality rotational piece as a rookie on the outside.
Denver also hit on a diamond in the rough in Dondrea Tillman, who had several flashes throughout the season and proved to be a quality run defender. He's an exclusive rights free agent, so he should be back with the squad in 2025 on a cheap contract.
Free Agent Priority: Low
The Broncos' edge group is mostly intact for 2025, so they don’t necessarily need to address the position outside of a veteran with better ability against the run or find another player with pass-rush upside to strengthen the floor of the room and provide competition for Elliss and Tillman.
That said, there are still some options on the free agency market that could contribute in a Broncos uniform next season. Let's break them down.
Payton Turner | New Orleans Saints
We all know how much Sean Payton loves the old guard, and as a former New Orleans first-round draft pick with some quality tape against the run, Turner makes a lot of sense for Denver. He’s young enough (26 years old) to have some growth available as a player and would raise the floor of the room.
Payton didn’t get a lot of run last season, but he did post a solid 70.8 pass-rush grade with 13 total pressures and two sacks on 189 pass rush snaps. His run defense took a step back in 2024 due to a high missed-tackle percentage, but he’s been mostly solid for the majority of his young career and could see a resurgence as a rotational player in Vance Joseph’s defense.
Turner would also be a bargain addition to the unit, which is something the Broncos are going to be looking for as they're likely going to be negotiating a long-term contract with Bonitto down the road.
Marcus Davenport | Detroit Lions
Another former first-round pick during Payton’s time in New Orleans, Davenport makes sense as a veteran pass rusher to compete with Elliss and Tillman. Even though he's seen some injury-shortened seasons, including a torn triceps in Week 3 that ended his 2024 campaign, Davenport would come in and immediately boost the run defense on the edge.
When healthy, Davenport can be a quality contributor as a pass rusher around the arc. In 2021, he posted career highs with 42 total pressures and nine sacks along with an 82.0 pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus. He also saw his best contributions against the run that year with 20 tackles and 24 defensive stops resulting in an offensive failure to go along with three forced fumbles.
Due to age (he turns 29 years old in September) and injury concerns, Davenport could be a value signing that could provide starting quality play from a rotational player. This makes a ton of sense for the Broncos.
Josh Uche | Kansas City Chiefs
A former second-round pick of New England's, Uche was one of the league’s rising stars off the edge a couple of seasons ago. A solid run defender with wicked speed around the arc, he tore opposing offenses apart in 2022 to the tune of 56 total pressures and 12 sacks.
Uche led all NFL edge defenders (with at least 285 pass-rushing snaps) with a 12.9 pass-rush productivity percentage, and had the fifth-highest win percentage of those players that season, and was widely considered a breakout player for Defensive Player of the Year going into 2023.
Uche struggled to see the field in Kansas City after landing there via trade in the middle of the season. He only played 87 total snaps for the eventual Super Bowl losers, but he did have a solid season going for the Patriots prior to the trade.
Although it wasn’t up to his typical per-snap averages, Uche had 13 pressures and a pair of sacks for the Patriots in the seven games leading up to the trade. If the Broncos can get him entering his age-27 season on a one-year 'prove-it' type of contract, he could be a valuable addition to the pass-rush rotation.
