The Denver Broncos could be getting some reinforcements on their defensive front in Week 6 against the Jets, but they also might be without one of their most underrated players.
Jonah Elliss has missed two straight days of practice to start the week (ribs, shoulder), which could pave the way for a promising rookie to make his 2025 debut in London.
That promising rookie is, of course, fourth-round pick Que Robinson out of Alabama. Robinson was an underrated player going into the 2025 NFL Draft process and a special teams ace who the Broncos felt was quietly ascending in his overall pass rush abilities.
Que Robinson could make Broncos 2025 debut in Week 6 vs. Jets
The Broncos felt like Robinson was maybe the best all-around special teams player in the entire 2025 NFL Draft class, which makes it all the more surprising that he has yet to make his debut so far this season. But the team is obviously loaded off the edge, and Jonah Elliss is a special talent.
Just like a lot of young players, a talent like Robinson has had to wait his turn, and this could be a great chance for him.
Even though the Broncos have a top edge duo of Jonathon Cooper and Defensive Player of the Year candidate Nik Bonitto, Vance Joseph likes to rotate his guys and bring waves of pass rush throughout the course of the game. The Broncos might not give Robinson the same exact workload that we've seen from Elliss so far this season, but both on defense and special teams, he'd be counted on to make plays.
Robinson is a long edge defender at 6-foot-4, 243 pounds. He has outstanding quickness off the snap and a really strong overall arsenal of moves to win as a pass rusher. He was consistently named as a standout throughout the course of training camp and the preseason, and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said he's had a great week of practice.
This is part of the reason why you continually invest in depth pieces off the edge, especially guys like Robinson who have the ability to contribute as core-four players on special teams. Losing someone like Elliss for any period of time, whether it's one game or multiple, is not ideal. But this is where the Broncos' depth can really shine through.
We'll probably see some additional work in this game for Bonitto and Cooper, as well as Dondrea Tillman, but Robinson appears posed to get his first chance to make an impression in the regular season.