The Denver Broncos clearly flew under the radar in 2024, and one of their underrated addition was just named an 'unsung hero' for his efforts in 2024. It was abundantly clear that in 2023, the Broncos were missing another starter along their defensive line.
Well, in the middle of the 2024 NFL Offseason, the Broncos committed highway robbery and stole John Franklin-Myers from the New York Jets for a fishing rod and some loose change. Franklin-Myers had the best year of his career in 2024 with Denver, racking up seven sacks, eight tackles for loss, and 18 QB hits.
He was the missing piece at defensive end for Denver, and while he flew under the radar to some, others did see the contributions he made.
Here is what NFL.com had to say about Denver Broncos' defensive end, John Franklin-Myers:
"First, I’d like to point out that I could probably write an entire Broncos-only Pro Bowl snubs list -- Zach Allen, Garett Bolles, Quinn Meinerz, Brandon Jones, etc. Sometimes entire teams are overlooked -- they’re just not usually playoff teams with Super Bowl-winning coaches. I digress. JFM might not make a PB snub list, but he was critical in the middle of Vance Joseph’s defense. After the Broncos stole Franklin-Myers from New York in exchange for a handful of rose petals, the defensive tackle put up 44 QB pressures, per NGS, and was a stone in the middle. His ability to win immediately discombobulated offenses. He earned 19 quick pressures on the season, tied for second on the club behind only Allen and fourth among all DTs in the NFL. "Kevin Patra
Named an 'unsung hero,' John Franklin-Myers was a huge boost to Denver's defensive front, which led the NFL in sacks, and it feels like JFM has been underrated his entire career. The Jets had to trade JFM to get enough cap flexibility to swing the trade for Haason Reddick, which blew up in their faces.
Franklin-Myers is under contract through the 2025 NFL Season, and while it is not a slam-dunk that Denver could bring him back for 2026, it might make sense to extend his contract one more year through 2026. His running mate on the opposite side, Zach Allen, is a free agent after the 2025 NFL Season as well, so Denver does have some work to do along the defensive line this coming offseason.
The Broncos should also look to the 2025 NFL Draft to find some younger, more long-term talent along the DL for when guys like JFM and Zach Allen are no longer part of the equation. DJ Jones, their starting defensive tackle, is set to hit the open market in 2025. It would not shock me to see Allen, Jones, and Franklin-Myers back as the starting trio again in 2025.
However, I could see Denver upgrading from Jones. Anyway, one of the best additions that this team made last offseason was John Franklin-Myers. He flew under the radar and had a huge season for the Broncos in 2024.