One of the most underrated aspects of the Denver Broncos' 2024 season was the strength of their defensive line, which was evident in their rotations. So far through two games, Denver has four defensive linemen who have played between 20% and 65% of the defensive snaps, but it still feels as though something is missing on the line.
Malcolm Roach was a major developmental win for the Broncos last year, quickly becoming one of Denver's best defensive linemen and a key piece to the NFL's best defense. He set a career high in sacks, quarterback hits, games played, tackles, and multiple other categories.
Roach was figured to be a key piece to Denver's defensive game plan again this year, but an injury towards the end of the preseason took him out of action, and he has yet to return. As the Broncos continue to try to live up to their potential as a defensive unit, a healthy and effective Roach would be key.
The Broncos are feeling the absence of Malcolm Roach on their defensive line
The Broncos gave up an absurd 165 rushing yards to Jonathan Taylor in Week 2, which is incredibly uncharacteristic for Vance Joseph's unit. The Broncos averaged less than 100 rushing yards against last season, and held Taylor to fewer yards than he compiled this past week. Denver's ability to handle Omarion Hampton in Week 3 will be a good test to see how well the team can handle the run without Roach.
There is a solid argument to be made that Roach is the second most important Broncos defensive lineman, behind Zach Allen. Denver has struggled to generate pressure up the middle thus far, and Roach was a key piece in that department last year. Beyond his sack and tackle for loss numbers, Roach was effective at eating up multiple blocks, which would help free up the edges for players such as Jonathon Cooper, John Franklin-Myers, and Nik Bonitto, all of whom turned in career-high sack marks.
Roach's presence has mostly been replaced by Jordan Jackson, who has been solid so far but is not quite the player Roach is. Considering this is Roach's walk year and he figures to be one of the more attractive defensive linemen in free agency, Denver should want to maximize all the time they have left with him. He'll be cleared to return from the short-term IR after Denver's Week 4 matchup with the Joe Burrow-less Bengals, which could give the Broncos a considerable boost as they head into a stretch of their schedule that they need to take advantage of if they have any playoff aspirations.