Denver Broncos roster status: Defensive secondary
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 7: Pat Surtain II (2), Ja'Quan McMillian (29) and Talanoa Hufanga (9) of the Denver Broncos prepare for Cam Ward (1) and the Tennessee Titans during the fourth quarter of the Broncos' 20-12 win at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday, September 7, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)With the Denver Broncos offseason kicking off, it is a great time to step back, take a look at the roster, and play a little armchair GM leading up to all of the excitement of possible free-agent signings, trades, and, of course, the NFL Draft.
All of this is my personal opinion based on my tried-and-true eye test of what I've seen from these players on the field this season. For the sake of brevity, I'll be leaving out guys who didn't see the field in any significant way in 2025 and most Unrestricted Free Agents. This is meant to be a very high-level view of the roster and not a nuts-and-bolts review of each player (we'll do that later in the year at an individual level), so I encourage you all to look at it through that lens.
Enjoy the discussion, join the subjective debate, and share your thoughts (good or bad) in the comments.
Let me give a tip of the hat to ftnfantasy.com for their information on snap percentages and www.overthecap.com for their information on current contracts for all players.
Next up, we'll examine the defensive secondary and determine what holes the Broncos should look to fill in the 2026 NFL offseason.
Player Rating Key1 - Project / developmental - lacking the necessary skills to contribute as it stands today
2 - Backup quality - Can play, but isn't a guy you want out there every snap
3 - Average starter - Doesn't bring anything special to the table, but can do the job
4 - Good starter - An above-average talent
5 - Blue chip player - Top 10 talent in the NFL at what he does
Unit Rating Key1 - Critical Need - lack of talent at starter and depth
2 - Lacking at least one starter
3 - Mediocre need
4 - Solid talent and depth
5 - Elite talent level
Cornerback| Player | Snaps | Tkl (combined) | Sacks | TFL | Qb Hits | Interceptions | Pass Defended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Surtain II | 1022 | 47 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| Riley Moss | 1253 | 80 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 19 |
| Ja'Quan McMillian | 821 | 56 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 9 |
| Jahdae Barron | 346 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Kris Abrams-Draine | 217 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Contract DetailsPatrick Surtain II is the best cover corner in the NFL. Quarterbacks throw at him to their peril. He's an All-Pro player who is in the prime of his career and a football player in every sense of the word.
Even with an injury in 2026, Surtain showed that his impact on the game is enormous.
Riley Moss - 4
Contract DetailsRiley Moss gets way too much flak for pass interference flags in my mind. Early in the season, he did show some technique issues that were to blame for some of them (though not all by any stretch of the imagination). He cleaned that up, and as the season wore on, he was an absolute beast in coverage on the outside.
Moss can pass rush, attack the run, and has the most passes defended on the team in 2025. The only thing I didn't like was some of the angles of attack he used late in the season that gave up some big plays. The good news is that he's a young player who has yet to hit his ceiling and has done nothing but show constant improvement in his time in the NFL.
Ja'Quan McMillian - 4
Contract DetailsSome might say that Ja'Quan McMillian is the best slot corner in the NFL. I could technically argue that point, but why would I? McMillian is a hell of a playmaking corner for the Broncos. He plays big against tight ends in coverage. He takes the ball away (AMIRIGHT, Bills fans?). He's a willing and productive pass rusher. He blows up runs in the backfield.
The Broncos drafted a talented corner in 2025 who hardly sees the field because McMillian (who made the team as an undrafted college free agent) is just too good.
Contract DetailsThe Broncos spent a #1 draft pick on Jahdae Barron in 2025. Barron did see the field at times and looked good when he was able to get on the field. I think we'll likely see him rotate in more in 2026. He's likely to have a nice 2nd-year jump in play and likely will have every opportunity to earn play time given his draft status if he can show he can play at the level that McMillian does. One play the Broncos can make in 2026 would be to trade Riley Moss and let Barron start on the outside, which doesn't sound completely crazy to me, even with how highly I think of Moss' game.
Unit Rating - 5This cornerback unit is one of the key reasons this defense is a top-5 unit in the NFL. They smother the pass every week of play. There's obvious depth to the unit, as well as we saw them play without Surtain in weeks 9 - 12 and were able to hold it down. McMillian is the one key guy who could possibly leave this offseason, as another team may be willing to give up a draft pick to sign him away from the Broncos. Even then, the Broncos have Barron ready to go, with Kris Abrams-Draine still on the roster and developing well.
Safety| Player | Snaps | Tkl (combined) | Sacks | TFL | Qb Hits | Interceptions | Pass Defended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Talanoa Hufanga | 1004 | 106 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 11 |
| Brandon Jones | 889 | 78 | 0.5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| P.J. Locke | 305 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Contract DetailsTalanoa Hunfanga was the shining star for the Broncos in free agency from 2025. He is a playmaker at safety and upgraded the defense instantly with his presence on the team. If he worked a bit on catching passes, he'd be rated a 5, as he'd have multiple interceptions to add to his resume from 2025. Outside of that, he's an All-Pro safety who plays the run and the pass at an excellent level.
Brandon Jones - 4
Contract DetailsBrandon Jones was sorely missed when he exited week 15 for the rest of the season. He's a capable safety whose ability to be in the right place on time vs the pass, and the run equally well is a real asset for a defensive secondary in the NFL. One of the biggest things he does well is diagnose and attack tight ends and running backs going out for passes from a purely read-and-react perspective.
Unit Rating - 3The Broncos have two very capable starters at safety. The problem is that their depth is lacking. P.J. Locke is an unrestricted free agent and not necessarily a player that I think is worth resigning unless he comes very cheaply. Devon Key is definitely a great special teams player and will be on the team, but I haven't really seen enough of him to know if he's able to fill in well in the regular season.
I think it is very likely we see another safety added, whether it is through the draft or free agency, just to bulk up the depth on the roster at the safety position.
Defensive roster status overall- Defensive Linemen: 4.5
- Outside Linebackers: 5
- Inside Linebackers: 1
- Cornerbacks: 4
- Safety: 3