Que Robinson quietly emerges among Broncos' biggest offseason winners

As good as the Denver Broncos' player development has been under head coach Sean Payton, that is an aspect of roster progression that often gets overlooked year to year.

For a team returning 94 percent of its snaps from last season, one of the most underrated ways the Broncos can get better is still from in-house talent, and one of the players who has quietly stood out the most in 2026 so far is second-year player Que Robinson.

Robinson was a 4th-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Alabama, somewhat of an unknown to a lot of folks coming out because he barely played 400 snaps in his time with the Crimson Tide. But the Broncos saw traits in Robinson, and at a minimum, top-tier special teams ability.

As a rookie, Robinson played just six regular season games, but he got 150 valuable snaps on defense and over 100 snaps on special teams as well. Entering his sophomore season, he's going to be ready -- and expected -- to take a big jump forward.

Que Robinson proving quickly he's ready for an increased role with the Denver Broncos in 2026

Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has already said this offseason that the team views Robinson as having future starter traits coming off the edge.

The one play everyone continually points to as a perfect example of the upside Robinson has as a player is his sack on Drake Maye in the AFC Championship Game.

This one clip shows how instinctive Robinson is, how explosive he is coming off the edge, and his phenomenal closing speed. Then, of course, you have to finish when you get to the quarterback. He also goes ahead and quickly brushes aside the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Hunter Henry.

This is truly an awesome play from Robinson, and perfectly highlights what gives him future starter potential. Almost every time we saw Robinson get reps with the defense, he was doing some type of disrupting in the backfield.

He had a really good game earlier in the season against the Chiefs, he made some plays against the Jaguars, and did a great job against the New York Giants as well.

The Broncos might need to plan on Robinson's snaps doubling or tripling this season, depending on what ends up happening with Jonathon Cooper's off-field situation. If Cooper is unavailable for any reason, the Broncos have plans in place. Not only does Robinson look primed for more snaps, but third-year player Jonah Elliss has been working with the starting unit off the edge, and has been turning heads as well.

This is part of the reason why the Broncos continually collect pass rushers and keep investing in that position group. They've proven they can effectively develop these guys off the edge, and Robinson is the latest example.

He might not get the same amount of hype as others because he's a projected backup, but for someone who only appeared in six games last season, Robinson's impact on the rotation this year could give the pass rush an unexpected jolt.

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