Broncos Aren’t Surprised By Defensive Depth Players Stepping Up

The Denver Broncos built their depth on defense to provide protection against exactly what’s happened so far this season, which is a rash of injuries that tested both the linebacking corps and the secondary. 

Nick Kosmider of The Athletic did a deeper dive into how this works, and he noted that this is a concern for coach Sean Payton, who’s worried about the amount of time the Broncos defense is spending on the field. 

But for defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, not so much. 

“When you lose one player, we have guys who can fill in who have the same skill set,” Joseph said, and he went on to say that he’s not surprised about how well they’re doing. He sets a standard, and his unit plays to that standard. His mindset is that if anyone on his defense doesn’t fit and can’t play, they shouldn’t be on the roster. 

That mindset isn’t exaclty unique in the NFL, but Joseph’s success in applying it is. He insisted he wasn’t worried at all during that last-second goal line stand against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, and he used safetly JL Skinner as an example, saying that Skinner has been “itching to play” for a long time. 

But there’s itching to play, and then there’s stopping running back Kenneth Walker III at the goal line, but that’s exactly what Skinner did. It waas a remarkable play, and the safety described himself as a hitter who “wakes up ready to tackle,” so he viewed what he did as just part of his job. 

He’s not alone in stepping up and doing that. Kosmider named defensive lineman Sai’vion Jones and pass rusher Que Robinson, as two other players with the same mindset. They were drafted one round apart in 2025, and they spent most of their respective rookie seasons watching and waiting from the sideline.

But that ended on Sunday when they flushed quarterback Patrick Mahomes from the pocket and forced an important incompletion on second down that was part of the game-saving goal line stand. 

This wasn’t the only game where that’s happened, either. Cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine had a critical fourth-quarter interception of Sam Darnold during the Broncos’ overtime victory against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6., and safety Devon Key has also stepped up at different times as well. 

It’s all part of the plan, and it shows how organized Joseph is in putting all this together. It’s also noteworthy when it comes to the Broncos’ ability to recognize talent, and it will continue to be important even as the injured players continue to make their way back into the lineup.