Locked On Broncos - Daily Podcast On The Denver Broncos - NEXT STEP: Denver Broncos Jahdae Barron's DEVELOPMENT Could Unlock Competition

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Denver Broncos defense was already good, but if these young players develop accordingly, they're going to be even better. You are Locked-on Broncos, your daily Denver Broncos podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Happy Friday, Broncos Country. I'm Cody Rourke, joined as always by Sarah Bedinger. Today's episode of the show is brought to you by Fandul, and Fandu is giving you a way to turn that energy into even bigger potential wins with a college basketball,

Starting point is 00:00:31 parlay, Prabhu's head to Fandu.com to get started on today's episode. of the show here. I'll tell you why Jonah Ellis and Q Robinson must play more than they did in 2025 this upcoming season. On top of that, Sabian Jones has some big shoes to fill after the Broncos lost John Franklin Myers in NFL Free Agency. But we're going to kick things off with Zaday Barron, why he could be the future opposite of Patzer Tan. Sarah, player development is such an important aspect for NFL teams. And there are so many teams around the league that don't do a great job of it. The Broncos as of late, over the last three, four years, I would say have done really good at it.

Starting point is 00:01:10 Don Peyton believes in it. George Peyton believes in. And that has set the foundation for, I think, why the Broncos are so happy with bringing guys back that they know in NFL free agency. I mean, they had what, 21 free agents? 17 of those guys are back on the team, at least going to training camp this summer. That speaks everything about player development. Jada Barron, about to enter his second year in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:01:33 and there's been a lot of talk about maybe his role, what it could be, did the Broncos make a mistake? I want to be very clear. Despite not playing as much as a rookie, I still felt like Jadde had an important role. And I thought he did a really good job in that minimalistic role that he had inside the Vance Joseph's defense. Absolutely.

Starting point is 00:01:50 Playing 30% of the snaps this past season as a rookie. And certainly that's not exactly what everyone had in mind when he was picked in the first round, 20th overall. And you're kind of hearing things about, man, he was one of the only, only guys that we actually had a first round grade on in this draft or at least there were reports that we're talking about how the Broncos had a first round grade on Jada Baron. And we know that those are few when it comes to the NFL drafts in general, right? I mean, not every player that gets picked in round one is going to have round one grades from every team.

Starting point is 00:02:21 So it's rare to have a player like that at a premium position fall into your lap. And Broncos just couldn't pass it up. And I get it, Cody. I really do. I think that for a corner to be there at 20, even with the Broncos situation at that position, you take that guy because he's also versatile. He fits your culture. And that is a position group that you can afford to look maybe one, two years down the road, right?

Starting point is 00:02:46 And there was maybe some even question at the end of the 2024 season. I know that Riley Moss gets a lot of flack for the past interference penalties this past season. But remember the year before that, it was kind of Jayquan Macmillan getting called for a lot of pass interference penalties as well. So a lot of folks figured, well, Jaday Barron come in, take Jekwon Macmillan's spot in the slot. And for Hunkers, I'll have three really talented young guys out there. We saw how things transpired, right?

Starting point is 00:03:14 So a bit of a log jam at the position, but certainly you feel like the vision is still unfolding for Jade Barron. And it's not just a lost cause because he didn't play 75% of the snaps as a rookie. Yeah. And I think if people want to be hung up on Riley, his past interference calls. Look at Pat's or 10. I think he's like, I think Riley had nine. I think Pat had eight this season. So it's the stuff that we get mad about that folks just get irrationally angry about. But I think as we're talking about Jabe here, you know, let's look at maybe

Starting point is 00:03:44 traits he can develop, right? What can he work on as a player? I mean, Sarah, I like the role that the Broncos had for him a little bit early on in the dime where they're lining him up against tight ends. They wanted him to be the tight end past catching a racer in certain passing down situations. I thought he did really good there. He got a pick six against Travis Kelsey, unfortunately wiped off the board due to a penalty. But the one thing I like about him, he comes up and he tackles. He's not afraid to get dirty.

Starting point is 00:04:11 Like, that's the thing that the Broncos have kind of outlined as a non-negotiable for the cornerback position is, hey, you got to get your nose dirty. You got to put your nose in there and make tackles, come up, make big hits. I like that about Jod A. But I think if there's one area he can grow on, I just think more so it's being more consistent in coverage. look, the Broncos, they vary things up between man zone. They match things sometimes as well.

Starting point is 00:04:34 And it's just about being able to read things a little quicker. There are a couple of in-breaking routes that got the best of Jade this season. But aside from that, I have not a lot of complaints or gripes about the Broncos soon to be second year corner there. But let's talk about how he gets there, though, Sarah. You know, I think right now people are saying, well, hey, if J-Quan is the nickel, Riley was on the outside, what does that mean for Jada? Sarah, I think we're setting things up potentially here in training camp. for a competition, not just with Riley and Jadae, but Chris Abrams Drane,

Starting point is 00:05:02 but this is one that if you're really keen on developing your players, you're hoping that Jade really shows a lot in this. Definitely. And it's a tough one because at the same time, you know, the Broncos traded up for Riley Moss in the 2023 NFL draft. They felt that he was worthy of giving up. I think it was even a future pick. So they felt like he was giving up valuable draft capital to move up and get him. And he's entering a contract year.

Starting point is 00:05:28 So you know that he's going to be bringing it when it comes to training camp. And Jadae is inexperienced by comparison and, you know, wasn't even playing all outside corner last year, although he did play some. And Vance Joseph talked about that on his podcast appearance that he did with Peter Schrager, where he kind of also spilled the beans about the longer term vision for Jadae being on the outside, which is sort of where this discussion stems from. So I'm interested for your perspective in that, Cody, like after a year in which,

Starting point is 00:05:58 I feel like Riley Moss kind of got the short straw in a lot of ways. You know, he was getting called for penalties that probably weren't penalties. A lot of, I mean, Pat Sertan went on his podcast multiple times and was complaining on behalf of Riley Moss. And so the perception of him from the fans is that, well, he's been a liability at times, giving up big plays. I'm interested to know how you and the listeners as well would really feel about Riley losing his starting job, entering his fourth NFL season. After a couple years now where you've got two years and two seasons of sample size on Riley Moss now, is this the point at which you open up the competition?

Starting point is 00:06:38 Or is that really his job to lose? And how much rotating do the Broncos do? How would they go about a competition like this? I think we can all agree, like, man, it's probably what needs to happen is open up that competition. But what does that look like? And are you ready to potentially see Riley, Moss lose that kind of competition?

Starting point is 00:06:58 Yeah, here's my personal opinion on this. And then I'll share maybe the other side of the coin. I think it's Riley's job to lose. Plain and simple. Look, Riley's a very good cornerback. I think a lot of people are very misconstrued in their analysis about I mean here and an extra $1 million something dollars because of how he performed based on the CBA.

Starting point is 00:07:17 So obviously shows he's doing something right. I can tell you this talking of Broncos coaches, they love Riley Moss. Sean Payton loves Riley Moss. thinks he's done a tremendous job. So I think that because he's entering the last year of his deal, Sarah, this is essentially what you create a competition for. Look, Riley missed a large portion, I think, what, his rookie season because of a like a core muscle injury, you know, he's missed some time.

Starting point is 00:07:41 But in 2024, Sarah, after his rookie season, we saw him take on a little bit more of an accelerated role where all of a sudden he's making these plays. He's knocking passes down. He's getting interceptions. He's showing he can cover the fastest receiver on the team. team and then he goes down with a knee injury. And then all of a sudden, the Broncos have to go to Levi Wallace. And everything was a disaster after that.

Starting point is 00:08:00 That's what I think showcased Riley's value. Now it's, hey, 2025. It was an up and down year for Riley. Not a lot of interceptions. He only had one on the season there. But the thing that I like about Riley, man, he's always tough. He's always going to respond and come back. 19 passes defense this season.

Starting point is 00:08:17 But it's your last year of your deal. You know, you're trying to play for a contract extension. The Broncos, they drafted a first round rookie in 2025. This right here means, all right, Riley, you know, this is your job to lose, but there's a competition. And I don't think it's going to be Riley and Jadae solely. I also think Chris Averman's drain is going to be thrown at that mix there. And I think it does work to the Broncos favor to have two of those primary three spots already solidified, right?

Starting point is 00:08:43 We know Pat Sertan ain't competing for his job. J-Quann-McMillan not competing for his job this year. I think it's kind of nice to know that there's just really one spot. And that wasn't the case last year. I think last year it was maybe the outside with Riley coming off of a year where he didn't necessarily finish great after the injury, right? I know the T. Higgins game kind of loomed large in the minds of fan base, the fan base after last the 2024 season. So it's really, okay, now we have a focus. We're not trying to figure out how does Jaday fit into this defense anymore.

Starting point is 00:09:19 We're going to let him compete for one job. We know that he can contribute all these other ways. We're not necessarily going to try to make him wear all these different hats and have him drinking out of a fire hose, really, as a rookie. I mean, they talked about that during training camp as well, right? I mean, they were asking him to learn a lot of things. They were asking him to play a lot of different spots. And he adapted quickly.

Starting point is 00:09:41 So I think that's the thing that needs to be focused on there with Jaaday is that he is a fast learner. But let's see if we can, how good can he be, if he's not out there always having to think or always having to remember, okay, what's my, what's my job when I'm playing the dime? What's my job when I'm playing in the nickel? What's my job when I'm on the outside now? Like, focus on one area and get great at it now that we know that you can already do all those other things if we ask you to do them.

Starting point is 00:10:10 Yeah, and I don't think folks realize how hard his job was. I mean, we heard Dre Greenlaw say learning this defense was like Spanish. Imagine being Jada, where you have to learn outside, you have to learn the nickel, the dime, sometimes maybe some linebacker, I mean, against the Philadelphia Eagles in the nickel package. He was a linebacker next to Alex Singleton in that game, certain packages. So having to learn all those different roles and know how it plays alongside like everybody else, the back end part of the safeties, he had a very hard job. And I think he handled all that really well.

Starting point is 00:10:39 So we're very curious and also excited to see how he responds here going into 2026 here. Broncos country are coming up next to Broncos defense. They have some major holes to fill on the defense. offensive side of the ball and replacing John Franklin Myers isn't going to be easy, but the Broncos like the upside of soon-to-be-second-year player, Sabian Jones. Today's episode with Lockdown Broncos is bright of our friends over there at five-hour energy. The five-hour energy flavor draft is here with 18 different flavors to choose from, including new options like confetti craze, fruity rainbow or cotton candy.

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Starting point is 00:13:09 And thank you to all you every dayers out there. Don't forget an easy way to support the show is by becoming a part of. of the everydayer club. So we want you to check that out. Link will be in the show notes. You can go to lockdown broncos.com for more on that as well. We appreciate you for doing that. Broncos country, Cody, let's talk about Savion Jones, a player who kind of gets forgotten a little bit from last year's draft class, right? I mean, obviously Jadae Barron, kind of a controversial pick. A lot of folks talking about that. Second round, you go after the running back, RJ Harvey Harvey. Then you take Pat Bryant in the third round. Those are kind of some glens.

Starting point is 00:13:45 MRS positions. And then sneakily, at the end of the third round, the Broncos traded up to get Savion Jones. And I remember you and I were sitting there getting ready to record our episode, Cody, for the day two of the day two picks that were, which was at the time just Pat Bryant and RJ Harvey. And then we saw the Broncos in it. The screen said like, Savian Jones, Edge, LSU. And you and I were like, wait, what?

Starting point is 00:14:10 They took another edge. Like, give us a break here, guys. But no, Sabion Jones, a defensive lineman, really good pass rusher, really effective pass rusher. We saw some glimpses in the preseason. He had, I mean, he was very limited this past, 33 snap. So if you blinked, you missed Savion Jones playing at all this past season, Cody. But what did you see from him training camp, preseason, even his limited regular season action? What did you see from him that you feel like, okay, we see the flashes, and this is what?

Starting point is 00:14:43 what we can build on going forward. Yeah, let's go back to training camp here. You know, he saw a lot of pressure from him. You saw him doing a really good job not getting washed out of plays or sealed inside. He did a really good job of holding his own there at the defensive end position. And I think the Broncos being able to move him around left side, right side. That is going to help him get even more comfortable. Now, preseason, you mentioned the flashes that we saw with the run stops,

Starting point is 00:15:06 some of the pressures, you know, getting towards the quarterback a little bit. Regular season. I mean, it just seemed like this Broncos. rookie class at times, they were in the right spots at the right time. The Los Angeles Chargers game in the last game of the regular season for the Broncos against, I believe it was Trey Smith there. Nick Benito gets a strip sack, you know, who recovers it. It's Savion Jones.

Starting point is 00:15:27 He's in the right place at the right time. So he saw some action. You mentioned the limited amount of snaps there. That's just, I think, you know, some bits and pieces that he got that obviously, for him, it's motivation. He wants more of it. And obviously for the Broncos, losing John Franklin Myers and free agency, that is a massive hole.

Starting point is 00:15:46 And I've planted my flag on that. People are probably going to get annoyed of me saying it. But until the Broncos have somebody to step in and have that same type of production, impact, pressures, quarterback hits, seven and a half sacks, that you're going to hear me say that here. But Savion Jones is the reason why they drafted him. I mean, that's a big reason why, because you need to get younger at the position, especially when you look at the market and you're not trying to pay JFM the way that Tennessee Titans were. but at this time, I still think that Savian would benefit tremendously,

Starting point is 00:16:16 Sarah, from having a veteran in the rotation with him. Cam Jordan would be great. I think that would help. I don't know. Like if the Broncos are going into this season saying, you know what, we lost JFM, Savian is going to be the guy that replaces him and we're not going to miss a beat.

Starting point is 00:16:30 I just think that's such a naive way of thinking. I've seen some fans say that, like, oh, Savion Jones are going to do a great job feeling it. Maybe. We do not know the likelihood of that happening is very, very hard to gauge Now considering he's only played, as you mentioned, 33 snaps. And that could go up like 10fold this year. I mean, we're talking about, yeah, it should, right?

Starting point is 00:16:51 I mean, I think John Franklin Myers didn't even play 50% of the snaps last year, but he still plays obviously quite a bit. And you rely on these guys in rotations. You rely on them to bring pass rush in waves. And what Vance Joseph, I think, mostly relies on these players on is, hey, you better be effective when your number is called, when you're supposed to be out there. The Broncos defensive front is almost like, you know,

Starting point is 00:17:15 lines on a hockey team. I guess I'm going to butcher this for any hockey fans that are listening out there. But my only frame of reference is the Mighty Ducks. So when you're doing a line change for hockey, right, you expect that line change. You expect the players coming out onto the ice to be just as effective as the ones who just left. That's kind of how the Broncos pass rush and defensive front is constructed. Like when DJ Jones and Zach Allen and, you know,

Starting point is 00:17:44 previously John Franklin Myers left the field, they expect Yoma Owasarike and Malcolm Roach and all the rest of them to be just as effective, right? So their expectations there to do your job whenever you're supposed to be out there. And so Sabian Jones, he got, you know, kind of a, not a trial by fire this past year, but he kind of got to watch and learn. And John Franklin Myers was mentoring him.

Starting point is 00:18:11 I remember reading something from Luca Evans during the season that John Franklin Myers is saying like, hey, go take my job or something to that effect, right? And so he's really getting mentored. He's got the athleticism. What do we see young players need so desperately when they come from the college ranks, Cody? They need to get stronger, right? I mean, it's a different game. And so Sabian Jones got to get stronger.

Starting point is 00:18:33 You've got the length. You've got the athletic traits. You've got the explosiveness. Got to be stronger against these offensive linemen. And so I think when he can do that, when he can prove that, man, I'm stronger at the point of attack, man, he can play those 330 to potentially 400 snaps. Yeah, I mean, 6 foot 5, almost 290 pounds. I think he's probably on a really good weight plan this offseason about getting stronger,

Starting point is 00:18:56 like in the weight room. I guarantee you that's going to be a big aspect of his game this upcoming season. So very curious to see what type of approach that he's taken. I also have to ask you this too, because once again, I mean, Savion is a late round three pick. I think a lot of fans have like this very high expectation on him. In my opinion, I'm looking at it's like, I just expect Savian to play more of this upcoming season.

Starting point is 00:19:20 I'm not expecting Savian to come in and win the starting job. And I'm also not expecting him to come in and even have, you know, a close resemblance of seven and a half sacks to what John Franklin Myers had here. Would you be disappointed if he didn't win the starting job here for the Broncos? because I still feel like the commentary on him from the fan base says, oh, yeah, Sabion's going to do it. Like, I like Savion.

Starting point is 00:19:43 I think he's going to be a fun player to watch. I just think that's putting such unrealistic expectations on this young guy. Yeah, and there's no reason to do that, right? Especially because we know that he's not going to be out there playing a thousand snaps, like Zach Allen did a couple of years ago. We know that he's going to be playing a rotational role. And you know that he's going to be out there being put in positions where, hey, maybe he goes out there with Zach, you know,

Starting point is 00:20:10 maybe he's on the field when Zach Allen is on the field to get more favorable matchups. That's another thing that I'll be fascinated to find out is, well, when do the Broncos throw Savian Jones into the mix? Is it when defensive or offensive lines have to pay more attention to Nick Benito and Jonathan Cooper and Zach Allen? So then Savian can use his athletic trades, his length and just say, hey, we're going to give you a one-on-one in this situation.

Starting point is 00:20:34 Go beat this guy and go make a. play on the quarterback. I think that would be really smart of them to do as opposed to just saying, all right, we're going to throw out the second team unit and, you know, just see if it works. I know Vance Joseph and the staff on defense will get creative with that, but also the development with Jamar Kane and the defensive line coaching that he's getting. I mean, it's just top tier all the way around. So I know they're going to put him in positions to succeed. But yeah, Broncos country, don't be expecting, you know, 12 sacks from this guy in year two. It's going to be you know, slow growth pattern, especially as he even gets just used to playing maybe even 20

Starting point is 00:21:12 snaps a game or whatever it ends up being. Yeah, like for me, an ideal goal for him this upcoming season, play at least 250 defensive snaps, 275, somewhere in that range. And then you see what he does with it, right? I think just tempering the expectations, allowing him to grow more importantly, I think is important. And we'll see where he's at here with the Broncos once Trenton Camp worlds around in the month of July.

Starting point is 00:21:33 We're not too far off from that Broncos country. Very excited about that. But coming up next year, Broncos country, we'll close out the show by talking about why Q Robinson and Jonah Ellis must play more at the outside linebacker position here in 2026. You're going to get on today's episode of the show. Today's episode, the show, is brought to our friends over there at Robin Hood. What if sports were traded like markets? Now you can put your sports IQ to work in real time with Robin Hood prediction markets.

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Starting point is 00:22:30 involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robin Hood derivatives LLC, a registered futures commission merchant and swap firm. The Denver Broncos are loaded at the outside linebacker position with Nick Finito, Jonathan Cooper. But in 2026, we want to see a little bit more of Jonah Ellis and soon to be second year player, Q Robinson.

Starting point is 00:22:52 Broncos country, appreciate you as always for tuning in, making us your first listen, however you choose to do so here. The outside linebacker position and the commentary surrounding it sometimes is always interesting because on one hand, Broncos fans want the feel good reunion with Von Miller. On the other hand, when you look at the roster, you say, look, Denver's just not in a spot to make that happen right now. If they were down to guys at that position, okay, yes, we're all on board for that. As much as Nick Benito would like Vaughn back, the idea here for Denver is, hey, you have some really good pass officers right now, Jonah Ellis, Q Robinson entering his second season. Obviously, Dondray Tillman, who had a very important role for them last season here. But let's talk about Jonah and Q here a little more. Starting off with Jonah. Sarah, the reason we have him in this conversation is we like what we have seen. from him. From a developmental standpoint, his impact early on in his career, being able to create pressure, forced mistakes by QBs, tackling guys in the back foot for a loss. The biggest issue with Jonah so far that has impacted him has been injuries. That's not what you want either for a guy

Starting point is 00:23:53 like Jonah Ellis who is so talented, so explosive, so strong, such great football IQ and does everything well. And I think he is the complete package off the edge. And so for injuries to be derailing what's what he's capable of and what he can bring to the table is it's really a shame. So he's got two years left on his rookie contract. Obviously, he was a third round pick back in the 2024 NFL draft. He was the Broncos second pick in that class after Boe Nix in the first round, right? So it somebody they obviously believe in strongly. And, and I think that Jonah Ellis has proven exactly why because, and we, we don't extrapolate stats on this show. really often, you know, Cody. But I mean, look, Jonah Ellis is somebody that in his first two years in the

Starting point is 00:24:43 NFL, he's got seven and a half sacks and 11 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for loss. He has only played 752 snaps. So, I mean, my goodness, it's really great production. You're getting a sack every roughly 100 snaps. Obviously, not every snap is a pass rush snap. So he's out there playing really well. We've seen him drop into coverage and show his athleticism. He can do it all. So I want to see more Jonah Ellis. And right, like you said, I mean, it starts with just staying healthy, staying on the field. His rookie year, he did play 17 games, but this past season was a weird one for him, wasn't it? He played 13 games, which, I mean, that's, you only missed four games on paper. But man, it was, it just felt like a struggle for him to get to 100 or to stay 100%. We were

Starting point is 00:25:34 always kind of questioning, like, when are the Broncos going to have him back? Is he going to be full go this week? It just feels like he needs just a string of good luck health-wise. And I think he can really explode as a breakout player. Yeah, the challenge with him from the injury side of things was obviously in college. He had a pretty bad shoulder injury coming into the NFL. Then after his rookie season in the playoffs, he suffered another shoulder injury. And the Broncos lost to the bills.

Starting point is 00:26:00 This year, he dealt with a shoulder injury. But on top of that, he dealt with, I think he had a, you know, a rib fracture, and then he had a week, you know, where he pulled his hamstring and missed some time. Like, so he did deal with three injuries that kind of hampered him throughout, but you want to see him maybe, like, overcome that. And I think the Broncos' recovery approach with him was pretty good. I mean, that's why, like, Denver was so good, like, so okay with, you know, their depth there. It's like, hey, you know what? Like, Jonah can't go. All right, more Dondray Tillman. We're going to get Q Robinson some activity here this week. And for Q,

Starting point is 00:26:30 I think those opportunities where Jonah was not on the field, Q Robinson, came in and he made the most of those opportunities, really good flash in terms of playing the edge of the line of scrimmage, not getting beat on contain, creating some pressure, getting out to the quarterback from time to time. And I think in the AFC championship game, destroying a block from a wing that was coming underneath to block you,

Starting point is 00:26:51 you destroy him and you go and you get Drake May. Like that was a huge moment. But on top of that, Jonah and Q, they play a large role on special teams as well for Darren Rizzies. So the idea is like, what does that look like for them in 2026? What does playing more mean?

Starting point is 00:27:05 Because, I mean, on game day, Sarah, this is where things are challenging. You've got Nick Benito, you got Jonathan Cooper, you got Dondray Tillman, you got Jonah, you got Q. All five of these guys aren't going to be active. One of these guys will be a game day inactive here for Denver. Yeah, and that's really, that's where I think a lot of folks are in sort of this tension right now of do you trade somebody? Do you entertain the idea? Because you want to have that depth, right? You want to be able to have the luggage.

Starting point is 00:27:33 knowing that if one guy goes down, we still have four players that we can throw at you. I mean, it is, it's a big reason why the Broncos in back-to-back years have set a franchise record for sacks in a season. It's not just because they're playing 17 regular season games. It's because they have five guys off the edge and, you know, six guys on the defensive line who can really get the job done consistently. And so, yeah, what does that look like? Does it mean Nick Benito and Jonathan Cooper playing a little bit?

Starting point is 00:28:03 less does it mean i don't know i don't know what that looks like and that's that's the crazy thing is that you you would hate for another year of q robinson only playing when somebody's hurt or you know i don't know at the expense of somebody else like dandre yeah or jonah ellis that would be terrible so i just i mean it's a good problem for the broncos to have you want to have very but it also is actually a problem because somebody who's really good is not going to be playing and contributing, and then all of a sudden, you know, Q Robinson gets on the field just immediately produces, like in the AFC championship game of all places. So, yes, it is a good problem to have, but it is a problem nonetheless, the Broncos might have to get creative in ways that they address it.

Starting point is 00:28:50 Yeah, and I think that they're two starters. They're the real deal. I love Jay Coop. I love Benito. I see a lot of fans saying, hey, trade Jonathan Cooper away. I'm totally against that because I don't think, Like I know that someone else could step up and play well. I just think that all of these guys, this room in particular right now, Cooper and Benito, they play well off of each other, right? I think they have this special bond. They have a special impact on the defense. You take that away and you try to substitute.

Starting point is 00:29:16 It's like, all right, like we're taking a risk here. Like, can this guy produce the same amount of productivity with the snaps that Jonathan Cooper had and vice versa? I'm with you. If Sean Payton talks about this all the time, the Broncos, they don't want Cooper and Benito and Zach Allen. They don't want their key guys in the trenches. that are absorbing the most contact on a play-to-play basis to be on the field longer than they should have.

Starting point is 00:29:37 That's why they want a really good rotation there. So I think for some guys, like for Q, I think a larger role on special teams this upcoming season is going to be very important for him. I think that's what makes him active. I mean, it also depends. Do the Broncos feel like they're riches that outside linebacker will allow them to make five guys active on game day, whereas maybe like linebacker doesn't have as many guys active on game day or corner or safety or defensive line? you have to figure out the numbers game because you have a 53 men roster, but not all 53 are active on game day,

Starting point is 00:30:08 which I think is the stupidest rule that the NFL has ever made in terms of that. Like if you're on the 53, let all these guys play and then have a couple of practice squad elevations. But this is, as you said, this is an embarrassment of riches for the Broncos and from the depth department. This is arguably their strongest position group when you talk about guys who could have a major impact, pass rusher all the way. And this is the tough one to decide. like how do these guys get on the field? If you want to see more of this guy, what does that mean for Dondrey?

Starting point is 00:30:36 What does that mean for Jonah? If there's anybody there, Sarah, right now that we could pinpoint is having maybe the most pressure on them in that room because of Q Robinson. Who is it? I would say it's got to be Dondre Tillman because he's in a contract year, right? And I think he's one of the older guys in that group as well. He's played extremely well. And he's shown, I mean, man, when he picks the ball off, he's got the athleticism to go make plays. and he's consistent off the edge.

Starting point is 00:31:02 Like he's very strong at the point of attack. He's a bigger dude as well. So he brings a little bit of variance where all these other guys are kind of on the lighter side. So I think he does have that pressure. Being that he's in a contract year for the team, I think that puts him in a position of vulnerability, let's say, if some team is like,

Starting point is 00:31:22 hey, we need somebody to contribute. He's got friends in high places around the league, doesn't he, Cody? So he could be vulnerable to a trade potentially. and the Broncos might have to consider that, just like they did at wide receiver last year with Devon Bailey. Just don't send him to the Buffalo Bills or Jim Leonard, please is all that we're asking for here. But yeah,

Starting point is 00:31:41 they could maybe mean that some team is out there willing to trade for a guy like Dandre. I don't know. I mean, I'm curious to see how the offseason plays out. I'm curious to see how the NFL draft plays out here in about a month's time as well. That's going to be some moving pieces there for Denver, who still has, obviously, for them. They have a second round pick.

Starting point is 00:31:57 They have obviously two fourth round picks. They have a fifth rounder and they have, what is it? Three seventh round picks, if I'm not mistaken. I guarantee you, I'm going to put an early prediction here. They're going to trade both of their fourth round picks to move up into round three. You heard it here first. We'll say that. But Broncos Country, thank you so much for rock with us here on today's episode of the show.

Starting point is 00:32:17 Thanks to all the everydayers out there once again for making us your first listen, however you choose to do so. If you want to find a way to support the show, well, first off, make sure you're subscribed to the show wherever you get your podcast. But if you want to support us a little bit more, hey, join the, Every day or club. There's two versions. There's the member version, $5 a month. There's the All Access version, $15 a month. Both versions get you an ad-free version of the show.

Starting point is 00:32:37 But the All-Axas club, it gets you access to not only Discord, but it gets you exclusive discounts on Locked on merch. You get one-on-one texting with Sarah and myself a daily newsletter. Plus you get access to the All-22 film breakdowns. We got two up right now on Jaylen Wado. Some more content that you don't necessarily get here on your daily Lockdown Broncos channel. We appreciate you so much, Broncos Country. Check it out on the show notes down there.

Starting point is 00:32:59 below at lockdown broncos that supercast.com. Sarah and I, we will be back on Monday for a brand new episode of the show. We'll see you then.

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