The Denver Broncos have sported some of the best defenses in the NFL over the past two seasons, and in reality, ever since that insane 1-5 start in 2023, the Broncos have been playing elite defense. It's a huge testament to just how good defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has been.
And his decision to return to the team as a coordinator years after being fired as the head coach proves how stellar of a human being he is. At some point, Joseph is likely to land another head coaching job, but the Broncos were able to retain him for 2026, which would be his fourth year on the job.
The Broncos are again primed to have a great defense, but there could be an underrated player who could help send this unit into a new dimension, and it may just be third-year linebacker Jonah Elliss.
Denver Broncos LB Jonah Elliss identified as the team's best-kept secret for 2026
Brent Sobleski, in Bleacher Report, identified the talented linebacker as the team's best-kept secret for 2026:
"How much a player can do for a team is sometimes more important than being a reliable starter. Case in point, Jonah Elliss hasn't started a single game for the Denver Broncos since being a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
His ability to help by playing on the edge or off the ball makes him an invaluable contributor.
This year, Elliss is expected to make the full-time transition from edge-defender to linebacker.
"If people watch the games, they'll see that a lot of times on third downs he was lined up at inside linebacker already," Pro Bowl teammate Nik Bonitto told reporters. "We have multiple packages for him. He's one of our best coverage players when we drop him into coverage. ... He provides so much versatility.
"I have no doubt about his talent. He's one of the most talented guys on the team."
Nik Bonitto's blurb in this excerpt from Sobleski feels significant. Elliss may already have snaps at inside linebacker in the NFL, and he does currently have brothers in the NFL who play the same position. Elliss has always had an ideal body type to be an off-ball linebacker, but he does also have great burst and quickness that could make him a functional linebacker.
Denver's decision to potentially move him to the inside could present a legitimate long-term solution that the team has been searching for. Elliss is already entering his third year, but he's only playing in his age-23 season, so he's actually younger than certain rookies across the league.
Elliss' athleticism overall should help this transition nicely, and it's really going to come down to if Elliss can make the mental switch, as everything else is there. And while the Broncos did extend Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad this offseason, there isn't any sort of guarantee that either player has a starting spot solidified for 2026.
Denver wanting to bump Elliss to the inside linebacker spot could also be a huge reason why the team didn't draft a linebacker until Red Murdock, the final pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. It does seem like the coaches are betting big-time on Elliss making the switch well, but with having an ideal frame for the position and having family members doing the same thing in the league, this switch could end up being rather seamless.
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