Report: OLB Dondrea Tillman Re-Signs With Broncos

The Denver Broncos got another deal done to bring back one of their edge rushers. Dondrea Tillman was an exclusive rights free agent the Broncos tendered, and he signed his contract on Friday, per 9NEWS' Mike Klis. 

Tillman was a star in the UFL last year and was coveted by multiple teams, but the Broncos were able to bring him in. As an exclusive rights free agent, there isn’t any negotiation over his contract.

To qualify as an exclusive rights free agent, a player must have an expiring deal with fewer than three accrued seasons. 2024 was Tillman's first year in the NFL, despite exiting the college ranks in 2022. The NFL did not draft or sign him then.

Tillman did hear his name called in the third round of the UFL supplemental draft to the Birmingham Stallions, where he played for three seasons. His contract was terminated after the UFL's 2024 season so he could sign with an NFL team. Over the three seasons, Tillman picked up 5.5 sacks.

Tillman played with the Broncos in his first and only season. After training camp and the preseason, he was waived, re-signed to the practice squad in the roster cutdowns, and then promoted to the active roster, where he stayed for the rest of the season. 

Tillman would go on to pick up five sacks, including two in his first NFL game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While he played only 275 snaps on defense, he made a significant impact as a pass rusher with those five sacks on 165 pass rush snaps. His pass-rush productivity ranked second on the Broncos defense, behind only Nik Bonitto. 

With Tillman back, he will compete with Jonah Elliss to be the third pass rusher in the rotation behind Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper.