The Denver Broncos put Brandon Jones on IR on Monday with a pectoral injury. It's a major blow to an underrated player on that defense. Overall, though, Denver's defense is still one of the most talented units in the league.
Vance Joseph is the team's elite defensive coordinator, and his job going forward did get a bit harder with Jones now being out for at least four games. With the way IR works, Jones would have to also miss the team's first playoff game.
He could realistically come back in the Divisional Round or AFC Championship Game depending on how things shake out. Let's dive into Denver's starting defense with Jones not in the picture for a bit.
Denver Broncos' starting defense after major Brandon Jones injury update
Defensive Line: John Franklin-Myers, DJ Jones, Zach Allen
Arguably the best DL in the league, these three players are sensational together. The starting trio of John Franklin-Myers, DJ Jones, and Zach Allen is the straw that stirs this defensive drink together. Allen has 40 QB hits thus far with three games left and had 40 QB hits last year.
JFM is a sensational player and has played some excellent football for Denver, and DJ Jones has been a consistent force in the middle of that unit for years now.
Inside Linebackers: Alex Singleton, Dre Greenlaw
Alex Singleton and Dre Greenlaw are the primary inside linebackers for the Denver Broncos, and Greenlaw did play a season-high 77.3% of the defensive snaps for Denver in Week 15, so the snap count slowly seems to be going away.
Outside Linebackers: Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper
The best edge-rushing duo in the NFL has combined for 20.5 sacks, 21 tackles for loss, and 38 QB hits this year. Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper are two players that can make splash plays at any given time.
Secondary: Patrick Surtain II, PJ Locke, Talanoa Hufanga, Riley Moss
Key Backups: Jahdae Barron, Ja'Quan McMillian
With Brandon Jones out for the foreseeable future, the team is likely turning to 2024 starter PJ Locke next to Talanoa Hufanga. The rest of the secondary is the same, but the defense could now deploy Ja'Quan McMillian and Jahdae Barron more. Locke started 15 games last year for Denver, and the Broncos responded by signing Hufanga in free agency.
Ideally, Locke holds the fort down, but he was flat-out bad last year, so this is something to keep an eye on. Some fans have even wondered if the team could send Barron out there as a safety. With the versatility of the Broncos' defensive backs, Vance Joseph should be able to come up with a solid plan while Jones is out.