By all accounts, Denver Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga had a superb first season with his new team. Hufanga supplied the kind of toughness the Broncos needed and expected when they signed him as a free agent, and cornerback Pat Surtain II even said Hufanga was “snubbed” by Pro Bowl selectors.
But Hufanga disagrees. “I can’t say that I was snubbed,’’ he told Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette during practice this week.
The safety’s logic is simple. Hufanga didn’t make any interceptions this year, and he cites that as the reason. Back when Hufanga was a first-team All-Pro with the San Francisco 49ers back in 2021, he had four interceptions and forced a pair of fumbles.
“I got to get some interceptions,’’ said Hufanga, who wound up as an alternate for the Pro Bowl. “I’ve been a Pro Bowler before and I made plays on the ball. This year, I did not. I made pass deflections but as a safety the goal is to come down with some and I didn’t come down with any this year.”
Hufanga defended 11 passes, according to Tomasson, and he forced his only fumble of the season against the Tennessee Titans in the season opener. He’s the 18th rated safety in the league, according to Pro Football Focus, out of 97 players.
“Honestly, I’ve adjusted well, but nowhere near perfect,’’ Hufanga said of joining the Broncos on a three-year, $39 million contract after spending his first four NFL seasons with the 49ers. “The plays that I missed during the season, I just dropped. I had one against the Texans I dropped. I dropped a pick against the Eagles. … I had one against the Giants. … It was like four or five that I clearly missed an opportunity. I got to come down with those.”
Coach Sean Payton said Hufanga should have been selected, with fans, players and coaches each counting for a third in the voting. The interceptions would have been nice, but the Broncos didn’t sign Hufanga for his hands. They signed him for his toughness and his ability to elevate the play of the secondary, and the safety did all of that and then some.
There will be opportunities for interceptions going forward, however, and those will be more important. Playoff football is a completely different animal, as Hufanga well knows, and if he does get the chance to make a crucial pick, holding onto the ball could be a game-changer.