Zach Allen heads into training camp as a cornerstone of the Denver Broncos’ defense after earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2025 and signing a four-year, $102 million extension last summer. Allen became only the second player to record 40 quarterback hits in consecutive seasons and has joked about naming his future beach house after former teammate John Franklin-Myers because of the help Franklin-Myers provided.
Franklin-Myers departed in free agency, signing with the Tennessee Titans, leaving a vacancy opposite Allen on Denver’s 3-4 front. Franklin-Myers logged a little more than 500 snaps in each of the past two seasons and is one of two starters from the AFC Championship Game who are not on the Broncos’ training camp roster, the other being linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
Allen’s rise has been dramatic: after totaling two sacks in his first two NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, he led the league in quarterback hits in 2025 with 47, the only player credited with more than 40 that year. Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has credited Allen’s growth in size, strength and rush intelligence during his time with the team.
The team has several internal options and added youth competing for the role next to Allen. Veterans D.J. Jones and Malcolm Roach remain in the mix, alongside Eyioma Uwazurike, Sai’vion Jones and Tyler Onyedim. Uwazurike, a 2023 fourth-round pick who missed his rookie season because of a gambling suspension, started the preseason opener in Atlanta and has drawn praise from Joseph for changing his body, leaning out and improving his movement. Sai’vion Jones was a third-round pick in 2025, while Onyedim was a third-round pick in 2026 and has shown quickness at the point of attack in practice.
Denver’s defense has led the league in sacks the past two seasons, and the club is looking to identify a long-term complement to Allen on the interior. Coaches say the room remains committed to high standards and that multiple players are competing to fill the void left by Franklin-Myers.
