The Denver Broncos definitely have some energy guys on defense this year. Nik Bonitto is playing out of his mind, to the point where he’s a viable candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. New free agent safety Talanoa Hufanga is a maniacal blitzer, and he’s added more mid-field presence to the defense.
But there’s another name you don’t hear nearly as much that’s almost as important. Free safety Brandon Jones was signed to a three-year, $20 million deal in 2024, and he’s turned into a tackling machine for the Broncos, posting 124 last year.
He’s doing the same kinds of things this year. Jones is tied with Hufanga for the team lead in tackles with 28, and he’s also tied for second in passes defended. Jones also has the team’s only interception to date, and his training goes way beyond time in the weight room and tape study.
Jones also swims, and at his local rec center at that. He’s one of those 5 AM guys at the local pool, and as he told Jeff Legwold of ESPN, he does get some looks every now and then.
"I've got my rec center membership, me and all of the other crazy people up at 5 a.m. who swim," Jones said. "Sometimes, I get some looks, like 'why is this guy here?' But they have skills, if you're up at 5 you're serious about swimming and there are a lot of good swimmers. Maybe they look at me like 'this guy sucks', but when you've got nine lanes and every lane is filled up at 5 a.m., you know they're all about it."
Hufanga has noticed Jones’ work ethic, including the swimming, and he admits it’s not something he’s seen a lot.
"I think the cool thing about it is the first week I got here, he's like, 'Hey, do you want to get work in?' And 'what do you need, you have questions about where to go, what to do?' And there was no hesitation," Hufanga said. "It wasn't like, 'Hey, you're new, I've got my own things to worry about and you're on this by yourself.' He just showed you, shows us, we're in this together. And I'm not sure he ever gets tired."
Coach Sean Payton has noticed, too, but with one important caveat.
"He can overtrain sometimes," Payton said. "But football is important to him."
Jones is also a planner. He knows how he wants the rest of his career to go, and he trains accordingly. And who knows, maybe he'll even break down and buy his own pool at some point.
"I think no matter what age I was ... I was looking for some type of edge. When I was going through the draft, I put together a binder on all of the teams," Jones said. "If I'm healthy, if it's extra conditioning, working on your craft. I guess I just feel like you're never there. There's always room to keep going. I really believe that, I do, 100%. But that said, I'll admit I'm definitely still trying to figure it out."