The Denver Broncos have made two massive moves to upgrade what was already a top-three defense in 2024, strengthening a strength and hopefully getting ready to take that next step in the AFC West in 2025. The Broncos signed free agent safety Talanoa Hufanga and linebacker Dre Greenlaw to three-year contracts, stealing them away from the San Francisco 49ers on the same day they also re-signed defensive tackle DJ Jones (another former 49er).
The San Francisco flair aside, the Denver Broncos are building something special defensively and they already not only had a top-3 scoring defense in 2024, but they led the NFL in sacks and had the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in Pat Surtain II. What the Broncos knew had to happen in the 2025 offseason was that they were going to have to get better at the second level -- linebacker -- and upgrade the safety spot next to Brandon Jones.
Those priorities were reflected with their aggressiveness to start NFL Free Agency and now, the Broncos' starting defense looks like it doesn't have a single area of weakness going forward.
Broncos starting defense after Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga signings
DL: Zach Allen
DL: DJ Jones/Malcolm Roach
DL: John Franklin-Myers
EDGE: Nik Bonitto
EDGE: Jonathon Cooper
LB: Dre Greenlaw
LB: Alex Singleton
SLOT: Ja'Quan McMillian
CB: Pat Surtain II
CB: Riley Moss
SAF: Talanoa Hufanga
SAF: Brandon Jones
What's wild is that the Broncos also have depth beyond those names. They have intriguing young players they are developing. They have the 2025 NFL Draft yet to potentially add talent, although based on the first day of NFL Free Agency, it might be a heavily offensive 2025 NFL Draft class.
The point is, when you look at that defense on paper, the potential is obvious. If this team was already a top-three unit in terms of points allowed with some serious debacles down the stretch, how good can they be now? Vance Joseph should have one of the easiest jobs in the league at this point, and if he doesn't get a head coching gig after coordinating this unit, it likely means something went terribly wrong.
And we'll have to hope beyond all hope that doesn't happen.
Injuries are always a factor for NFL teams, but the Broncos have been among the league's best at keeping guys on the field in recent years. They were the best in the league in 2023 in terms of least time spent on IR and second in the same category in 2024. That bodes well for guys like Greenlaw and Hufanga, who have struggled to stay on the field the last couple of years.
If this unit can stay healthy, it has the potential to be the #1 overall defense in the league.