Broncos' tackling problem is an issue they created all on their own

Depending on which site you trust, the Denver Broncos' defense missed either 24, 25, or 28 tackles against the Chiefs in Week 1.

The 26.1 percent missed tackle rate was the second-worst for a team since the NFL has been tracking missed tackles. The only worse game was the Broncos' 2023 50-point loss (70-20) to the Miami Dolphins.

Vance Joseph was the defensive coordinator for both games. The data only goes back to the 2018 season.

Denver Broncos' defense missing in action and needing solutions ASAP

The two worst Broncos defenders on Monday night in terms of total missed tackles were defensive lineman DJ Jones and Alex Singleton. Both players missed 4 tackles, but Jones only made one tackle, giving him an 80 percent missed tackle rate, which is absolutely terrible.

Singleton missed 4, but he made 16, so he only had a missed tackle rate of twenty percent. According to PFR, the worst defender in the NFL last season for missed tackle rate was Jaycee Horn at 27.5 percent. Horn had 37 combined tackles and 14 missed tackles. Geno Stone of the Bengals had the most total missed tackles with 26. Not surprisingly, the Bengals had the most missed tackles in the NFL last season with 170. They had a team missed tackle rate of 13.0 percent last season.

The Browns were the only team close to the 24 missed tackles that the Broncos had in Week 1. They had 15 missed tackles. The Titans had 14 missed tackles. The Lions had zero in their week one win over the Saints.

The Broncos' defense had only 85 missed tackles in 2025 according to PFR. They racked up 28 percent of that in one game this season.

This was Singleton's thrid career game with four missed tackles (second with Denver). His other four missed tackle game with the Broncos was the 25-point loss to the Lions in 2023. He was only tagged with one missed tackle in the embarrassment in Miami, although there were plenty of instances in that game where he was so out of position that he couldn't even miss the tackle.

Good inside linebackers don't miss tackles. Jack Campbell was a first-team All-Pro at ILB in 2025. He missed seven tackles in 17 games. In his worst game, he missed two. The Broncos had seven players miss two or more tackles on Monday night.

Future Hall of Fame ILB Bobby Wagner had a career high of 12 missed tackles in 2021. He had 170 total tackles that season. PFR shows him with 58 total missed tackles and 1222 combined tackles so far in his career. That's a missed tackle rate of 4.5 percent. His career worst percentage was 6.8 in 2020.

Singleton has a career missed tackle rate of 8.5 percent, which is almost double Wagner's. The only "good" ILB/MLB who misses tackles at a rate comparable to Singleton is Fred Warner. He has the same career missed tackle rate.

What separates Warner from Singleton is his ability to cover tight ends and running backs. Warner has allowed a passing rating of 86.1 when his man has been targetted in his career. Singleton has allowed a passer rating of 107.3 including an astounding 122.9 in 2025. Warner has 57 passes defended in his career in 122 games. Singleton has 17 in 67 starts.

Warner has forced 18 fumbles during his career. Singleton has forced three. So while Warner misses tackles, he does other things to make up for it. Things that Singleton can't do, like cover and force turnovers. Warner has 10 career interceptions and Singleton has three.

It is clear to all that Singleton is not good, but the scariest part is that the coaches see that and still don't want to replace him in the starting lineup. Jordan Turner and Karene Reid are the two backup ILBs. Reid has three defensive snaps in his career. Turner has 25.

There is no doubt that either would be an improvement over Singleton physically, but there is no way to know about the mental side of the game. Singleton is the captain on defense (green dot) and he makes the calls for defensive audibles. It is clear that none of Justin Strnad, Reid, nor Turner is ready to handle that duty.

The Jaguars will most likely follow the script that the Chiefs used to gash the Broncos' defense on Monday: a heavy dose of Bhayshul Tuten, who is decent at breaking tackles, and Chris Rodriguez, who is elite at breaking tackles.

PFR is stingy with broken tackles; Tuten averaged one broken tackle every 16.6 runs as a rookie. Rodriguez had one every 8.6 carries, which was 4th best among qualifiers. Rhamondre Stevenson and Kenneth Gainwell were the best last season at 8.1. Kenneth Walker had one every 9.6 carries. Jonathan Taylor led the NFL with 27 broken tackles on runs last season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow