Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - DESTINY: Denver Broncos Super Bowl Caliber Defense MUST Generate More Takeaways in 2026

Starting point is 00:00:00 If the Denver Broncos are going to make it back to the AFC championship game in 2026, the Broncos defense is going to be a big reason why. You are locked on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Happy hump day, Broncos country, Cody Work, Sarah Bedinger here in today's episode, the show is brought to you by our friends over there at Odu. Great organizations win because operations matter. And that's why you should get Odu.

Starting point is 00:00:32 Try for free today at Odo.com slash locked on. That's ODOO.com slash locked on as we break down why the Broncos defense will be an important part if they're going to make it back to the AFC championship game in 2026 as part of our continuing series here, episode three of this. We'll go through and tell you why the Broncos have all the pieces from starting players on defense, the rotational players, and the depth necessary to win the Super Bowl. We'll also go through. Why takeaways will determine whether or not the Broncos actually take that step to make it to the Super Bowl and to get back to the AFC championship. game. We're going to kick things off by talking about the Broncos biggest strength right now. And that is them returning the league's best pass rush for the second consecutive season. Now they're aiming to make that three straight years in a row.

Starting point is 00:01:17 And they want to set the NFL record in Sacks, which I think is a big time goal for this team. Obviously, they were on pace to do that last season, right? And ultimately, just kind of hit a little bit of a plateau during the season in terms of getting to the quarterback, getting sacks. but Nick Benito paces this unit, Cody, in terms of getting to the quarterback, 14 sacks last season. But Zach Allen gets underrated a little bit. He had only seven sacks last season, but actually was second in the NFL in quarterback hits. Part of the reason why the Broncos had 164 to lead the NFL overall, second only behind Miles Garrett. So when it comes to getting to the quarterback,

Starting point is 00:01:56 the Broncos just have such a variety of ways that they can do that with, I mean, Vance Joseph will be aggressive with, the blitz, right? We know that way. He'll send defensive backs. He'll send linebackers up the A gap. Or, you know, they can get it done with just four guys up front. They've got guys who can win as individual pass rushers. They've got guys who can run the games. They've got guys who can clean up for the pass rushers crashing things off the edge. So just this is the most dynamic group of pass rushers in the NFL, which is kind of evidenced by the team leaders in SACs. Top six guys. You've got defensive linemen. You've got edge rushers. You've got

Starting point is 00:02:32 off ball linebacker, you've got a defensive back. I mean, the Broncos bring the heat from a variety of angles, and they get it done in so many different ways. And it's almost just become part of the DNA of this entire defense. And the way that they attack, too, it's just, hey, we're not just going to win with our front, our four down linemen, our stand-up outside linebackers. We're going to get you from a safety blitz.

Starting point is 00:02:54 We're going to get you from a nickel blitz. Jayquan Macmillan, one of those top leaders that are four sacks for him on the season last year. He actually led the Broncos defense. and a lot of important categories, which we'll talk about here on today's show. But the one I also want to highlight is Justin Sternad, right? Four and a half sacks for him, and he didn't start every game.

Starting point is 00:03:11 He started only eight games for the Broncos. So for like me, now that he's jumping into this full-time starter role, we've seen Vance believes he is their best blitzing, off-ball linebacker because he's not only tall, but he's stout. He has so many different moments in the last couple of seasons in limited sample size as a starter

Starting point is 00:03:30 where he's getting a stuff, a TFL in the backfield or he's coming up on an agap blitz or he's wrapping around on a Bronco's stunt from the inside to the outside and he's getting home on the quarterback there. But as you mentioned, 164 QB hits, it means that the Broncos, they're going to hit you in a variety of different ways. They're going to send a pass rush in waves, which you and I on this show over the last handful of years, we've talked about how important that is for Denver to have. Obviously, last year, Denver's pass rushing duo of Nick Benito, Jonathan Cooper, those were the top

Starting point is 00:04:00 two guys in terms of sacks, but the Broncos had four players last year who each had seven plus sacks on them. And then you had contributions from a handful of different other guys. I expect that to even increase this year. You've got some new faces that you're throwing to them. Savian Jones, Tyler O'Needem, the Broncos third round rookie draft pick. In Yoma, Uazerica, can get involved in this maybe a little bit more. I'm curious to see will DJ Jones, Malcolm Roach, have more of an impact that may be getting after the quarterback a little bit. They've been kind of used to anchor inside the A gaps, but now it's like, hey, with the Broncos, with what they have, how they set up stunts, those guys have such an

Starting point is 00:04:36 important job. But more importantly, if the Broncos and their defensive line can create more of that penetration outside of just Zach Allen, you know, you lose JFM. Can those other guys replicate what JFM did in some way? Well, then that opens up those one-on-one opportunities on the outside for guys like Benito, Jonah Ellis. We're going to even talk about Q Robinson, maybe getting involved a little bit more with his pass rush skill set that we seen the Broncos for two straight years have had the best pass rush in the NFL and there's a very, very good chance they could have it for the third consecutive year in a row. But it's all based on the mindset and the mentality of this team. You can't go into this year saying, hey, just because they

Starting point is 00:05:11 did it in 24, just because they did it in 25 means you're going to do it in 26. The players believe we have to actually go out there and do it. We're going to have the mentality. What we did last year, it doesn't matter, but they believe that they have the system, the nucleus in place here with Vance Joseph to continue that. And Sarah, this was. was a huge reason the Broncos won 14 games last season as well, is their ability to get out to quarterbacks. And I would even say when you needed it in clutch time moments too, that's where we said the Broncos pass rush come up big. Yeah, and that's what they need even more of this coming season, right, is to close out these games or to sort of shift the tide so that the

Starting point is 00:05:47 Broncos can create even more separation within the games. Obviously, 68 sacks last season, quick math in my head, Cody. I'm not the best mathematician out there, but that means to me, four sacks per game. 17 times four, I believe, is 68. Somebody can check me on that in the comments. So it's now finding a way where how do you get that fifth sack every single week, right? How do you get that number up even a little bit more? Even though that might be easier said than done, I think clearly when you look at 164 quarterback hits last season, it's very much a possibility, right, to get that fifth sack per game. And what difference does that make over the course of a game? because we know oftentimes a sack can mean a lot of different things a sack oftentimes can be

Starting point is 00:06:29 as good as a turnover because it kills a drive it can actually be a turnover because you might force a fumble on a strip sack it can end a drive prematurely if you maybe knock somebody back in terms of they get into the red zone all of a sudden you get a sack on third down you cut the it's a three point drive instead of a seven point drive right so there's so many obviously benefits to having a great pass rush like this, which as you mentioned, has resulted in the Broncos being one of the best defenses in the NFL on third down, one of the best defenses in the NFL in red zone efficiency, which just goes to show situationally the Broncos are able to dominate on defense. And when you have a great pass rush, shoot, that really helps out a secondary that has guys

Starting point is 00:07:12 like Pat Sertan, Telenua Hufanga, Brandon Jones, Riley Moss, Jayquan, Macmillan, those guys can feast because of this pass rush. So to me, it's figuring out, how do we get that fifth sack per game because you mentioned it. The system is the same. The system is effective when it comes to getting after the quarterback, but this is one of the few groups on the roster where there's not really the same level of continuity as we see everywhere else, right? Because John Franklin Myers, we know he's gone.

Starting point is 00:07:40 Jonathan Cooper, his situation remains up in the air as of the time we're recording this. So I think that what we're looking at here is really banking on the system and the stars being above and beyond what we've come to expect over the last handful of seasons. And I want to even say going a little step further, and it's those younger players taking on a larger role, taking the mantle upon themselves to say, hey, I want to do a little bit more this upcoming season. And I think that for the most part, you look at the secondary continuity, you look at linebacker continuity right now with Singleton and Sternad, probably being the primary guys.

Starting point is 00:08:16 I would say that Denver's in a really, really good position to, I'd say, have the best defense in the NFL this year. But one of the bigger keys in order to make that happen, and in order for the Debrot Broncos to make it back to the AFC championship game, well, they're going to have to force more takeaways. We'll break down how they can do that here on today's episode of the show. Today's episode of the show is brought to you by our friends over there at Square. The business platform helping sellers become neighborhood favorites, whether you're preparing for a busy season or you're managing everyday demand. Square helps keep your business moving with everything from payments to online orders,

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Starting point is 00:09:49 As elite as the Broncos defense has been the past. couple of seasons. The one area that they really struggled last year was in the takeaway department. The Broncos did not have the best in terms of takeaways around the NFL. What we've seen around the rest of the NFL is the type of impact that takeaways can make on an offense. And the Broncos, they definitely need that in 2026 and they can get it. We're going to tell you how on today's episode of the show. Broncos Country, we appreciate you so much for rocking with us every single day here at Lockdown Broncos. And if you want your Broncos fix every single day, uninterrupted, you want to check out the everyday air club. You can actually start

Starting point is 00:10:22 a seven-day free trial. Right now, we're going to get ad-free episodes of the show, lockdownpodcast.com slash every day. Link will be in the show notes for you, locked on broncos. That supercast.com as well. Cody, let's talk about getting takeaways for this defense because, look,

Starting point is 00:10:38 last year we saw a number of opportunities that were sort of squandered. I think Tala Noah Hufanga has sort of bore the brunt of that discussion, right, because of his dropped interceptions. But I don't think we can necessarily just, you know, shoved to the side the fact that this Broncos team had 68 sacks and barely any strip sacks throughout the course of the season. I mean, there's an art form to that. Also, just creating takeaways in general. It just wasn't there. It didn't feel like it was part of this team until the playoffs, right, when they needed it the most. And you had to create those takeaways to get those

Starting point is 00:11:13 extra possessions in the game against the Buffalo Bills. So it was asked of Sean Payton, can that sort of be a launching off point for these guys here in 2026 to sort of build that confidence? I think the question here is like not just understanding the problem because we all get it. The Broncos struggled with takeaways last year. Where does this team begin in terms of getting that back on track? Well, I mean, that's a great question. And look, here's the thing. The Broncos in practice every week.

Starting point is 00:11:40 I see it. They work on it. They have a turnover circuit that they go through before practice even begins where you have not only the D-Lyman, the linebackers, the secondary guys, they go to different areas where it's like the DBs. They're working on pass rush, getting the ball, knocking it out of the quarterback's hands as the quarterback is bringing the ball up and getting ready to throw it. They go through the launch point on that. You know, D-Lyman are going through tip drill stuff.

Starting point is 00:12:05 Like they have a turnover circuit that these guys work on specifically. And once again, I think it's a little different when you're in the course of a game because the opposing team, they're moving faster. It's just about understanding that fundamental process. You mentioned Tala Noah Hufanga certainly had a lot of opportunities last season. But the Broncos, they ranked 21st in the NFL last season with 10 total interceptions. It wasn't enough. And that was a catalyst for some of their closeness in terms of one score games,

Starting point is 00:12:30 where if they would have gotten a few more takeaways, it might have blown the door off of some of those close games that Denver had. They were 30th in the league in fumble recoveries. They only had four last season. And get this, you talk about team leaders. I brought it up earlier. Jayquan Macmillan. Jayquan and Dondry Tillman led the team.

Starting point is 00:12:45 They were tied for the league. the team lead in interceptions with two apiece, but also J-Quon at the nickel position had two force fumbles, which was tied with Nick Benito, who had two strip sacks, one in week one. He also had one in week 18. And then they had four players who were tied with one fumble recovery. So the Broncos simply weren't generating more of those takeaways. And look, I think some people have perceived us talking about Denver not having takeaways as a negative thing.

Starting point is 00:13:13 They're like, well, hey, they led the NFL in sacks last season. and what more do you want? It's not that. We're not the ones just saying that. Sean Payton, the players themselves are saying we have to get more takeaways if we want to ultimately achieve our goals. And that's the thing. It's like, do you sacrifice a few sacks if it means that you get more total takeaways? Like, look at the Chicago Bears defense last year. They had a smothering run game offensively, but they also were a defensive unit that generated takeaways. They had 33 total takeaways last season. Now, unfortunately, they didn't make it to the Super Bowl, but they were a team that was in contention.

Starting point is 00:13:46 obviously as the postseason kind of went about here. So to me, that's going to be a huge key. If Denver's going to make it back to the AFC championship games there, they have to find a way to create more takeaways. And look, I think, you know, in hindsight, is there a perfect realm of like, hey, this should have been a takeaway. Maybe getting your eyes, you know, if you're getting in phase on a receiver, you know, Riley Moss, a great example, 19 pass defense.

Starting point is 00:14:08 If you're getting in phase on a route, it's maybe turning your head around and located in the football, finding the football. That's those little differences there. Though I will say, Riley was the one who forced the first interception of the season for the Broncos defense last year, tipping a Justin Herbert pass to Brandon Jones for an I&T. But Denver's just going to need more. That's going to be the secret sauce here. What was the difference in ultimately the Super Bowl between the Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks defense? Well, they were generating takeaway.

Starting point is 00:14:36 Seattle's defense was of Drake May and it gave more opportunities to the Seahawks offense who had some ups and downs. It wasn't necessarily like a shooter or anything like that. ultimately helped them break the game open with Kenneth Walker in the run game. The formula is there for the Broncos to do the same exact thing personnel-wise. I think Denver's better suited to do it this year. Well, Seattle is a really interesting example and kind of like a case study in this category, too, because they were one of the NFL's best last year in terms of takeaways, but they were also one of the NFL's worst in terms of giveaways.

Starting point is 00:15:10 And so the takeaways atoned for a lot of the sins of the offense. And that just goes to show how much this matters over the course of a season and this becoming part of the identity of a defense. Now, you don't want to necessarily be like the Chicago Bears gave up, I think they gave up 50 plus points on multiple occasions. And you kind of live and die by the takeaway. But they were plus 22 last year in the takeaway department and giveaway department, which means that, hey, you can point to some, if you want to point to something specifically that says this team went from being one of the worst teams in their division, to being one of the best teams in their division. That would be something that I'm sure Ben Johnson would point to is turnover differential. Ben Johnson, go figure, comes from the, you know, he's a fruit off the branch of Sean Payton's

Starting point is 00:15:55 coaching tree that is Dan Campbell. And I know that Sean has talked about this over and over again. It's one of the first things that he's brought up when he's been asked, like, how do we get this team to the next level this season? Well, takeaways is something that he's emphasized. And whether it's personnel, whether it's scheme, whatever it may be, the Broncos, last season, they were minus three in the turnover differential department. And like you mentioned, Cody, I mean, only 10 interceptions, only four fumble recoveries. That is not indicative of just how good

Starting point is 00:16:25 this defense is capable of being, especially because there was only 13 teams in the NFL last season that were above zero in the takeaway giveaway department. I find that to be one of the crazier stats of the year. And two of those teams were just plus one. So it's not like there's a ton of teams that are like dominating the takeaway giveaway department every single week. But just imagine how dominant the Broncos could be if they had the plus 22 that the bears were last year. I mean, that's the type of thing that when we talk about, man, they would have won at all. They would have not been able to be stopped because if you give an offense that's struggling

Starting point is 00:17:04 extra possessions, it gives them mulligans throughout the course of a game. And I think the Broncos offense has gotten a lot of unfair criticism over the last two years. The expectation of a first year quarterback and second year quarterback and all these young players around him has been, you have to match what the defense is doing. People are getting mad at the Denver offense as they're learning and growing because they're not as elite as the defense. Well, the defense has to help them out by giving them more possessions. If they're that much better. So I think that that's that, you know, that relationship between these two things right here that has to be helped this season is that takeaway, man, when that brought,

Starting point is 00:17:43 Bronco's defense starts forcing more takeaways, Cody. I mean, this team could be way better. I mean, it's even better than the most optimistic fans think they could be. Yeah, well, and here's the thing. It's a symbiotic relationship. You mentioned it. One takeaway. Let's say it's in the fourth quarter, you know, eight minutes left in a game.

Starting point is 00:18:02 Let's say it's a close game or you have a three-point lead. And the defense forces a takeaway. And let's say the offense from that point, they go on and they go down the field and they score. Well, guess what? That is like complimentary football. You need that. it's even better. Like what I would like to see a little bit more of, I would like to see the Broncos

Starting point is 00:18:17 defense score a few times as well. We're talking pick sixes. Now, look, it's it's hard to score defensively in the NFL, right? But you talk about scoop and score, fumble recoveries. You talk about, you know, tip passes, interceptions. We saw Cody Barton do a couple of those things in 2024 as a member of the Denver Broncos. But Denver needs more. J-Quann Macmillan's pick six at against the Cleveland Browns on Monday night football. Like you need more of those things here. And how much pressure does that take off? Like if your defense finds a way to score, you know how much pressure that takes off of your offense?

Starting point is 00:18:49 Like that right there is something that we talk about when you amplify like the hidden yards, that, you know, the hidden differentials. When you score defensively, your chances are going up like winning go up significant. I think by 14 to 20 percent. That's usually what the data has suggested there. Sean Payton has also said that himself. And I agree. It's just giving your offense more opportunities.

Starting point is 00:19:09 Now if the Broncos offense can be ahead of where they were, last year and the defense does find a way to get more takeaways. I do believe that they're going to find a way to capitalize on that. And I think that what you mentioned with all those teams and the turnover, the takeaway giveaway differential in the NFL, and I think that's the answer to why so many games last season around the NFL, not just Denver, were one score or less games. It was closer than ever before. And I think that's going to be big here going forward for this Broncos defense.

Starting point is 00:19:37 But Broncos country, one of the bigger things that Denver is going to make it to the a FC championship game here for the second consecutive year and ultimately advanced to a Super Bowl. While there are pieces that they have, star players, depth pieces, they're going to be the biggest contributors as to why that happens here for Denver on the defensive side of all. We'll highlight who those names are on today's episode of the show. Today's episode of the show is brought to you by friends over there at O'Doo. Running a business shouldn't feel like you're trying to connect a bunch of systems that were never designed to work together.

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Starting point is 00:20:33 And the best organizations know that success isn't just about talent. It's about having everyone working toward the same goal. And that's true in sports, just like it is in business. For the Debra Broncos defense, they led the NFL in Sacks last season. They want to break the record this year, but they need to force more takeaways.

Starting point is 00:20:48 The Broncos, players defensively, and also led by the coaches in Vance Joseph, they have a goal to break that sack record and to generate more takeaways, and they do that by working together. Great organizations win because operations matter, and that's why you should get O-D-O-D-O-D-com slash Locked-on.

Starting point is 00:21:06 That's O-D-O-O-O-com slash locked-on. The Broncos defense has so many key pieces that'll be important if they're going to get back to the AFC championship game in 2026 and ultimately advanced to and win a Super Bowl in this window that they certainly do have right here. Broncos Country. Thank you so much once again for rocking with us, making us your first listen here on the Lockdown Podcast Network, where you know it's your team every day. It's also the number one sports podcast network in the country. Thanks to all of you out there who make us your first listen. We appreciate you so much here. Sarah, let's get into this.

Starting point is 00:21:40 Now, I think we can all go through and highlight some of the key pieces that this Broncos defense has. It's easy to say Patrick Sertan. It's easy to say Nick Benito, Zach Allen. Well, let's talk about some of the other pieces that we feel like are going to be very important if Denver's going to make it back to the AFC championship game this year. This is kind of a rapid fire. We have nothing in our show notes on this. This is just blind reaction here. And Broncos country, feel free to write in your responses as well.

Starting point is 00:22:05 Names not including PS2, Benito, Zach Allen. Sarah, in your opinion, if the Broncos are going to make it back to the AFC title game, which player not named those three is going to be one of the most important for their success? Well, I'm going to go with a guy that we've talked about this offseason a couple of times, Justin Sternad, who's never been a full-time starter for the Denver Broncos. He started for the Broncos. He started 16 games over the last two seasons. However, that's it.

Starting point is 00:22:32 He's never played even 60% of the snaps for this Denver defense. And yet, he's still been really productive. He's still been a, you know, a key player who's been part of a lot of big moments. And so I think that you could look at him and you can kind of say, well, yeah, we kind of know what Justin brings to the table for this Denver defense. But I would, I would argue that we don't. I would argue that we haven't really seen what he can bring on a full-time basis going into the offseason as the unquestioned starter in that defense. And what he can do as a full-time player, getting probably close to double the number of snaps that he's played in terms of the most snaps that he's played. in a season. I am fascinated to see what difference that makes. If he can, you know,

Starting point is 00:23:13 if he can seize that role for the Broncos this season. If he can play that role for an entire year, that's going to be fascinating to find out. So I know that's kind of going off the beaten path a little bit, but to me, he's one of those guys that he's kind of a wild card, even though we sort of know what he brings to the table. We know what he brings to the table as an injury replacement. What does he bring to the table as the guy at linebacker? Well, four and a half sacks last season in that limited role in terms of snaps played. Like, I'm excited. Could we see an inside linebacker have six plus seven plus sacks? Could Sternad have that certainly? What about the takeaway department? He had an interception last season that was very important. It really helped

Starting point is 00:23:51 change the tide and the Broncos come back win against the New York Giants where Denver scored 33 points in the fourth quarter. His play was really a big catalyst as to why they won there. I think that's a great selection here. I mean, this is going to be probably one of the more obvious ones outside of the top three names that you and I've talked about, but I'm going to say it again, Jayquan Macmillan led the NFL, that would be nice, led the Broncos last season in interceptions and also tied for the lead in force fumbles. He also had four sacks himself. He was kind of a do-it-all player.

Starting point is 00:24:22 I think in today's NFL, having an established nickel player is so important. And Denver arguably has one of the better ones right now in the NFL in Jayquan. I think he's going to be one of those important pieces to highlight as well. maybe switching gears up here a little bit. Let's identify maybe a first year player or a second year player, a younger player here that we feel like could have an impact. Where are you going in this category? Because there's three levels to the defense.

Starting point is 00:24:48 And we know that Denver's got a lot of guys who are solidified, proven guys, but Denver also has a good blend of youth as well. Well, I'll go with this year's top pick, Tyler O'Needem, who is in the mix to replace John Franklin Myers on the defensive line as one of the starting defensive ends. And I'm fascinated just like I think everybody else is to kind of find out what is Vance Joseph's plan for replacing John Franklin Myers because ultimately the Broncos sort of made that decision it feels like at some point during last season where there was maybe a line that was crossed, not in a bad way, but like, all right, we've gotten past this particular point in time.

Starting point is 00:25:25 It's kind of written in the stars that, you know, Franklin Myers is not going to be back. So they've made this decision. They've, they've planned. on this decision, and I think Oneedem is going to be able to contribute right away. It sounds like, Cody, I mean, from what you've told me, from what I've read from others, like he looked pretty good out there and what you can at least judge and

Starting point is 00:25:44 determine at OTAs and mandatory minicamp. He looks the part. He was the team's top pick. I think that he's going to have that pressure to come in and perform. Yeah, and I think also the good thing, like with that, there's going to be pressure for him to perform, but I don't think it's going to be as like, you need to be this right away. And I think that Denver, operationally,

Starting point is 00:26:02 their front office when they go through and they're evaluating this year's draft class. I think that they feel that way. They feel like they don't have to like put guys in a position where, hey, you have to be this right now. Reed Burkhart specifically told us that after the NFL draft, Denver's assistant general manager here. But I think with the pieces that Oneedum has around him like the Zach Allen's, DJ Jones, Malcolm March, like there are three really good veterans there that he can utilize to his

Starting point is 00:26:27 advantage. But I'd even throw Sabion Jones in there as well, who's going to also be in the mix. Denver's going to rely on maybe two guys at defensive end that are younger in comparison to what Denver had the experience-wise with JFM. But I'll also say this. My other pick in terms of a younger player, I'm going to go with Q Robinson as a rotational edge rusher here for the Broncos. I think what we saw from him in a limited sample size last season, and we even saw this in the postseason against, ironically enough, the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game. Q can have an impact. I mean, it was Nick Benito and Q.

Starting point is 00:26:58 Q was the only pass rush really in that game that had an impact. in terms of flustering Drake May, getting after him in the limited sample size that we saw. And now they're expecting him to take another step forward in his development. I think Denver this year, maybe this isn't a hot take. I don't know. I don't think it is. I think Denver's defense top the bottom has better pieces this year than I think that they had last year. Do you agree?

Starting point is 00:27:22 Do you disagree? And also Broncos country, feel free to chime in. No, I can agree with that. I think that a lot of times, you know, you look at the unknown and you look at some somebody like, well, it's John Franklin Myers. He's established himself. He's been so consistent in terms of production. So you can look at that departure and say, well, obviously, they're going to be worse than they were last year. But that's the unknown of players stepping in and potentially becoming, you know, stars themselves. It's like, you don't know when it's going to be a better

Starting point is 00:27:53 option that you had behind a certain guy. Then, you know, I mean, there's different situations throughout the course of Broncos history, right? That could point us to, hey, the alter. wasn't necessarily better than the guy that they let walk in free agency, but there's always going to be young players who can step in and step up. And so I see the development of those young defensive linemen, the pass rushers like Jonah Ellis, Q Robinson. I see the development of Jada Baron, who's another guy that, you know, a second year player who could really pop this year for the Broncos.

Starting point is 00:28:23 When you think about player development in that way, and those guys who didn't really do as much last year or anything last year, who could pop this year, there's a real argument to be made that the talent level, it's increased and it's actually going to be an even better unit overall than it was a season ago. Well, part of that too, is having that talent, that accelerated development is all part of having a great coaching staff. And Brockos country, tomorrow's episode, the show for all you every dayers, episode four of our return to the AFC championship game series. Whatever's got the best coaching staff possible to help get them back to the AFC championship.

Starting point is 00:28:59 And we're going to see that. We're going to put it to the test here in 2026. You'll get that breakdown in so much more on tomorrow's episode of the show. Brand new listeners, viewers of the show, hey, guess what? If you like this episode, you like this show, the flow. We got you covered every single day all year long. So do us a favor. Hit that subscriber of that follow button on YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.

Starting point is 00:29:17 So you never miss out on what is going on with your favorite team. You get exclusive boots on the ground coverage of your Denver Broncos. Nobody's doing it like we're doing it. We appreciate you so much Broncos country. We'll see it tomorrow for another show.

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