While the Denver Broncos may be having competition for starting roles or snaps at multiple positions on either side of the ball, there is truly only one position on the entire depth chart that is actually replacing a starter from last season.
That one position would be the defensive end spot being vacated by John Franklin-Myers, who left Denver for a big-money deal in free agency with the Tennessee Titans. The Broncos knew they couldn't keep everybody, and Franklin-Myers became the odd man out this offseason.
Every other starting spot is either filled going into the offseason program, or last year's starter is back on the roster once again. Maybe to put it a little more simply: The defensive end job opposite Zach Allen is the only starting job that is there for the taking.
Although there are no pads at OTAs and contact is limited, this is the first on-field look at the defensive line without Franklin-Myers, and the first on-field look at all of the players competing for that starting gig in 2026.
Denver Broncos starting defensive end job is up for grabs as OTAs continue into Week 2
Here is a breakdown of the Broncos' defensive line snaps from the 2025 season, where only Zach Allen was on the field more than John Franklin-Myers:
- Zach Allen: 797 snaps (70.91 percent)
- John Franklin-Myers: 517 snaps (46 percent)
- DJ Jones: 431 snaps (38.35 percent)
- Eyioma Uwazurike: 409 snaps (36.39 percent)
- Malcolm Roach (12 games): 401 snaps (35.68 percent)
Nobody else on the defensive line played more than 85 snaps last season (Jordan Jackson). Based on these numbers, the most likely candidates to get more snaps would have to be Malcolm Roach and Eyioma Uwazurike. Roach is one of the Broncos' best defensive linemen and only played the amount of snaps he did because of an injury he had to miss time for.
Uwazurike took a massive leap forward last year in his overall usage, and even tied for 5th on the team with 5 tackles for loss. He has also said in the past that he feels like he would be ready to take over Franklin-Myers's role whenever that opportunity came his way.
While Uwazurike may feel ready for that responsibility, the Broncos have options.
Last offseason, they traded up into the back end of the 3rd round to take Sai'vion Jones out of LSU. Jones spent most of last season getting reps on the practice field and learning how to be a pro, but we barely saw him at all after the preseason.
The Broncos also used their top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Texas A&M defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim, who was also briefly teammates with Uwazurike while at Iowa State as well. Sean Payton said earlier this offseason that Onyedim will have a chance to compete for the role that was left behind by Franklin-Myers.
How the Broncos navigate all of this will be crucial. They not only have to replace Franklin-Myers's production, but they also need to make sure they have guys who are able to help keep Zach Allen as fresh as possible. Allen played way too many snaps in 2024 (964), so the Broncos managed him a lot better this past season.
In order to keep Allen fresh, they need players like Uwazurike, Jones, and now Onyedim to really step up and make themselves available.
The most discussed battles going on at OTAs right now among Broncos fans are typically surrounding the cornerback position (Riley Moss's job) and sorting out the wide receiver position pecking order. There hasn't been much talk about the defensive line, frankly, because there is limited/no contact at practice right now.
But this is one of those position battles that looms large for the team. The Broncos have set franchise records in sacks in back-to-back years. They need that unit to stay productive. And even without Franklin-Myers in the mix, having the wild card options of both Jones and Onyedim could make this unit even more productive in 2026.
Add us as a preferred source on Google