The Denver Broncos have what many feel will be one of the league's best defenses in 2025. Broncos Country is going to argue that it will be the best.
The defensive unit was already terrific in 2024 behind the vision of Vance Joseph and after adding Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga and Jahdae Barron, it should be even better. However, the perceived weaknesses of some of those new players seem to be one of the reasons Moe Moton of Bleacher Report does not put the defense at the top of his list.
Ranking the top defenses in the league after the Green Bay Packers pulled off a shocking trade to acquire Micah Parsons last week, Moton puts the Broncos at No. 4 on his list. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens — all AFC teams — are ahead of the Broncos.
Here was Moton's analysis:
"After a career-best season in which the Broncos defense ranked top seven in both points and yards allowed, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is looking to build further success.
The Broncos have the high-level talent to build on their progress from last year. They will field a collective group of disruptors up front who collapse the pocket and stifle ground attacks.
Last year, Pro Bowler Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper logged double-digit sacks, while Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers provided an interior pass rush. Bonitto, Cooper and Allen all logged at least 11 tackles for loss.
On the back end, cornerback Patrick Surtain II is a two-time All-Pro. Safety Brandon Jones isn't a household name, but he's coming off his best season with career highs in tackles (115), pass breakups (10) and interceptions (three) while allowing a 79 passer rating in coverage. Rookie first-rounder Jahdae Barron can bring more toughness and ball production to the secondary.
The biggest question for Denver's defense is whether its new acquisitions can stay healthy.
Over the last two years, All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga has missed 17 games. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw missed all but two contests in 2024. If they're able to stay on the field, Denver will rarely give up 20-plus points in a game this year.
With Surtain, Jones and a healthy Hufanga, the Broncos secondary is more trustworthy than the Green Bay Packers' group of defensive backs. So, Denver's unit gets the No. 4 spot."
Including the Packers is what makes this list noteworthy due to timing, but since they are behind the Broncos, this was Moton's rankings all along, saying that the Broncos have the fourth-best defense in the conference.
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There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of fans in Broncos Country who are going to strongly disagree with this take and soon, the games will kick off for the team to be able to prove it.
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