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  • After dominant Week 18, Broncos’ Eyioma Uwazurike feels ‘100%’ ready to earn starting DL role in 2026

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    The first thing Broncos defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike usually sees, lining up on any given Sunday, is the opposing quarterback.

    The second thing he usually sees is the large frame of John Franklin-Myers running from the sidelines to replace him.

    “We’re toe-to-toe with each other at that position,” Uwazurike tells The Denver Post in the locker room Sunday. “Whenever he need, I got my eyes on him, whenever he come in and out.”

    Broncos clinch No. 1 seed, set out on Super Bowl chase: ‘You can see the light’

    Has there been an interior defensive-line competition in Denver, across this now-complete regular season? No, Uwazurike smiles. Not in the slightest. One is a 27-year-old reserve who has a total of 3.5 sacks across four seasons in the NFL. The other is — well, “John Franklin-Myers,” as Uwazurike enunciated. A superstar. A superstar who’s about to get paid.

    But on Sunday, Franklin-Myers missed his first game of the season and the final game of the season with a hip issue. And Uwazurike’s four-year journey in Denver took center stage, from a toolsy fourth-round pick in 2022 to a year-long gambling suspension in 2023 to an indispensable part of this Denver defensive line in 2025.

    “Today, I’m just really holding it down for him,” Uwazurike said postgame. “Waiting for him to get back, let him rest up, and for him to be fresh, so when my time come to officially start — whenever that comes, I’ll be ready for it.”

    He was ready on Sunday, Uwazurike capping off a quiet breakout season in a 19-3 win over the Chargers. It was the first start of that tumultuous four-year career. That meant something, Uwazurike nodded, lips spreading for a toothy grin. The 27-year-old racked up two quarterback hits, four tackles and a tackle for loss, a final showcase of a season spent helping fortify Denver in the trenches against opposing run games. And in the fourth quarter, with Denver trying to slam the door, Uwazurike tossed his blocker aside and swallowed up Chargers quarterback Trey Lance to finish with 3.5 sacks on the year.

    In three months, Franklin-Myers will likely be in another zip code. Denver has shelled out to keep most of its defensive line. It’s held off on Franklin-Myers, who has a career-best 7.5 sacks in 16 games. Uwazurike’s start Sunday not only helped the Broncos secure the No. 1 seed; it also could be a direct window into the future.

    Keeler: Broncos, make us Bo-lieve! If QB Bo Nix plays like he did vs. Chargers, Denver is 1-and-done in NFL playoffs

    “I don’t know what his situation is,” Uwazurike told The Post, asked on replacing Franklin-Myers if he signs elsewhere. “But if he’s not here? Yes. 100%. I feel like I should be able to take over that role completely. Perform similar to this, and hopefully better.”

    To note: there is no bad blood here. Uwazurike described Franklin-Myers, who’s only two years older, as a “big brother.” The two study together every week, filling similar roles in a widespread five-man rotation in the Broncos’ defense. Franklin-Myers just happens to be the starter. Uwazurike, though, has filled the middle on a variety of key downs this season, and has played a career-high 36% of Denver’s defensive snaps in 2025.

    “As long as he here, shoot, we rockin’ together, preparing together, all of that,” Uwazurike said of Franklin-Myers. “So, big shoutout to him. Because if it weren’t for him, wouldn’t have this successful game.”

    Uwazurike’s emergence in 2025 — now finishing the year with 39 tackles, five tackles for loss and five quarterback hits — has helped ease pressure on workload on starting defensive linemen Franklin-Myers and Zach Allen. Theirs is a sort of symbiotic rotation up front, and both Franklin-Myers and Allen finished their 2025 regular seasons with fewer reps than they played the previous season.

    Uwazurike is “the reason” why Allen’s played roughly 15% fewer defensive snaps in 2025 as compared to 2024, as Allen told The Post on Sunday.

    “He now sees what could come,” Allen told The Post, “if he just keeps on going.”

    What exactly could come is still uncertain. There’s still months left for Denver to decide to move some money around and find $20 million a year for Franklin-Myers. He has a uniquely “symbiotic” relationship with Allen, as rookie Jordan Miller told The Post a few weeks back.

    Renck: Broncos secure home field for playoffs, but are not home free from criticism

    Allen told The Post that he hadn’t had conversations with Franklin-Myers on a possible extension for him, and the two were simply focused on winning.

    “He’s been awesome through the whole process. Obviously, it’s tough. But like — I was in his shoes when I was in Arizona and we weren’t close to winning,” Allen said, referring to his final year in Arizona in 2022 before hitting free agency.

    “There’s just so much that goes into getting ready week-to-week that the stat stuff, it’s kinda hard to focus on. And J’s the ultimate professional.”

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    Luca Evans

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  • Broncos-Chiefs scouting report: Banged-up Denver contends with Patrick Mahomes, desperate Kansas City team

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    Chiefs (5-4) at Broncos (8-2)

    When: Sunday, 2:25 p.m.

    Where: Empower Field at Mile High Stadium

    TV/radio: CBS, 850 AM/94.1 FM

    Broncos-Chiefs series: Here we go again. The Broncos endured a long period of futility in this matchup — 16 straight losses from November 2015 to early October 2023 — before finally toppling the Chiefs 24-9 on Oct. 29, 2023. Denver split this series 1-1 last year, drubbing Kansas City 38-0 in the final game of the regular season as the Chiefs rested their starters. The Broncos are 56-73-0 against the Chiefs all-time.

    In the spotlight: Can Nik Bonitto and company take down Patrick Mahomes?

    On Monday night, the Broncos’ 26-year-old edge rusher stood in a parking lot in Federal Heights, depositing box after box of Thanksgiving meals into the trunks of families pulling through a makeshift drive-thru in Thrive Church.

    Bonitto wore a hoodie, sweats and a large black brace on his wrist. He has been wearing the brace since hurting his wrist in the Broncos’ Week 1 opener against the Titans. The splint didn’t much hurt his ability to pick up turkeys. And it certainly hasn’t hurt his ability to gobble up opposing offenses, as Bonitto put together another dominant performance against the Raiders last Thursday with eight pressures and 1.5 sacks.

    But the greatest challenge of Bonitto’s career year — first in the NFL in QB pressures (51), third in sacks (9.5) — will come Sunday, when the Chiefs and one of the NFL’s most elusive quarterbacks come to Empower Field.

    “That’s the guy that everybody looks to when it comes to sacking the quarterback,” Bonitto said Monday. “He’s one of the best in our game, so, for sure — it’s going to be exciting.”

    The Patrick Mahomes of the last three years is not quite the same game-breaker the NFL saw in his mid-20s. He has dropped from the league’s undisputed top quarterback to just arguably the top dog. He lingers tied for 10th in yards per attempt (7.4) and a distant 12th in passer rating (98.2) through 10 weeks. The Chiefs are more vulnerable than at any point since the Mahomes Era began in 2018, sitting at 5-4 and a distant third in the AFC West.

    First-round rookie tackle Josh Simmons has missed the last four weeks while dealing with a family matter. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit has been typically excellent but has sagged on third down and in the red zone. And yet, Kansas City is still as complex to navigate as a laser maze because of the 30-year-old Mahomes, who’s playing a shiftier brand of football than ever.

    Mahomes’ sack rate the past two years has been the highest of his career. Still, the Chiefs rank ninth in the NFL overall in sack rate allowed. And Mahomes has gotten the ball out at an average rate of 2.69 seconds in 2025 — more than 0.2 ticks faster than any season of his NFL career. He is a shapeshifter under center, capable of adjusting his style and timing with each passing season in Kansas City. And this year, with a shaky situation at tackle between Simmons and backup Jaylon Moore, Mahomes is either punishing teams on quick intermediate routes or with his legs.

    Opposing defenses fear Mahomes much more than running back Isiah Pacheco or Kareem Hunt, as the Chiefs have faced one of the highest rates of defensive-back-heavy formations in the NFL when running the ball, according to the league’s Next Gen Stats. Pacheco and Hunt haven’t been able to take much advantage against a light box, both averaging less than 4.5 yards a carry on such attempts. But Mahomes has feasted: 7.8 yards a carry and 266 yards with his legs when defenses go with seven or less near the line of scrimmage.

    His one weakness? Pressure. Mahomes is 28-of-71 passing when under duress, according to Next Gen Stats. Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has done an outstanding job of throwing pressure at Mahomes across the Broncos and Chiefs’ last three meetings, and held him to a total of two touchdowns in that time.

    “It’s more about getting them covered, and making them hold the ball enough until we can get there,” Joseph said Thursday.

    Denver will need another monster effort from Bonitto and company at Empower Field on Sunday in a game that could assert them as the new class of the AFC West.

    “This division’s been run by the Chiefs for so many years now,” Bonitto said Monday. “So, I mean, if we’re going to want to be that team to win the division and reach the goals that we said we want, we’re gonna have to go through them and beat them.”

    Who has the edge?

    When Broncos run: Denver will play without bell-cow J.K. Dobbins for the first time this year, in some truly horrendous timing. Suddenly, rookie RJ Harvey will be thrown to the wolves against Chris Jones, Nick Bolton and company. Harvey has only gotten 10-plus carries once this year, and is averaging 3.3 yards a carry outside of a 50-yard pop in Week 1. Kansas City has a top-12 rushing defense through nine games in 2025. Edge: Chiefs

    When Broncos pass: Bo Nix has been a bottom-tier NFL quarterback this year outside of the fourth quarter. The clutch gene helps. Against the Raiders last week, the script actually flipped. Nix was in rhythm in the second quarter before completely falling out of it in the second half. Denver will need juice from Nix early and late against Kansas City with Dobbins out and an untested Harvey in the run game. This is the kind of matchup where the Broncos start to determine if he’s the guy for a long-term extension after 2026. Edge: Chiefs

    RELATED: Broncos analysis: To unleash Bo Nix and unlock offense, Sean Payton must start at the beginning

    When Chiefs run: The key here is Patrick Mahomes. Lead back Isiah Pacheco’s health is up in the air after a sprained MCL in Week 8, and backfield mate Kareem Hunt has averaged 3.6 yards a carry across his last four NFL seasons. But Mahomes is on pace for the best rushing season of his career, and has put up 123 yards on the ground and two touchdowns in his last two games. The Broncos have handled dual-threat QBs with aplomb this year, but Mahomes is a different kind. Slight edge: Broncos

    When Chiefs pass: The Broncos still don’t have cornerback Pat Surtain II (pec). The Chiefs have Mahomes, even if coordinator Vance Joseph has proven effective at containing him. WR1 Rashee Rice has been back for three weeks, too, adding a much more dangerous element to Kansas City’s attack. Slight edge: Chiefs

    Special teams: Chiefs punter Matt Araiza has pinned the second-highest percentage of boots inside the 20 (54.5%) of any punter in the NFL this season. Broncos rookie Jeremy Crawshaw now sits below league-average in that category, and the punting differential in Raiders-Broncos nearly swung a game for Las Vegas. The Broncos do get a huge lift with the return of All-Pro Marvin Mims Jr., and Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has been iffy this year. Edge: Even

    Coaching: The Andy Reid-Matt Nagy-Steve Spagnuolo trio is as proven as any in the NFL. Joseph is one of the highest-regarded defensive coordinators in the NFL at the moment, but Sean Payton has plenty to prove with his play-calling and offensive execution after the past two weeks. Slight edge: Chiefs

    Tale of the tape

    Broncos Chiefs
    Total offense 334.6 (13th) 370.1 (7th)
    Rush offense 128.6 (9th) 121.2 (12th)
    Pass offense 206.0 (18th) 248.9 (5th)
    Points per game 23.5 (17th) 26.1 (9th)
    Total defense 270.7 (3rd) 291.8 (6th)
    Run defense 91.2 (4th) 104.6 (12th)
    Pass defense 179.5 (6th) 187.2 (7th)
    Points allowed 17.3 (3rd) 17.7 (4th)

    By the numbers

    1,908: Patrick Mahomes’ passing yards this season when he isn’t pressured, the most in the NFL.

    8: Chiefs All-Pro Chris Jones’ quarterback hits through nine games this year, on pace for his fewest total since 2017.

    28: Broncos All-Pro Zach Allen’s quarterback hits through 10 games this year, the most in the NFL.

    8: Difference between Allen’s QB-hit total and second-place Nik Bonitto’s (20), the same difference between Bonitto’s total and 19th-place Leonard Williams.

    4: Bo Nix’s game-winning drives in 2025, the most in the NFL.

    18%: Percentage of snaps Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw has played where he’s recorded a tackle.

    X-factors

    Broncos: LB Justin Strnad. He’s stepped up for two years in the face of injuries, and Strnad will step back into the limelight against Kansas City after starting ILB Alex Singleton revealed Monday he’d had surgery to remove a testicular tumor. Strnad said Monday the Broncos will be playing for Singleton, and this Kansas City matchup will put Strnad’s skills in coverage and pass-rush on full display as Vance Joseph tries to disrupt Patrick Mahomes.

    Chiefs: WR Xavier Worthy. He’s one of the fastest players in the league, but — much like the Broncos’ utilization of speedster Mims — Worthy’s usage comes and goes with each passing week. Andy Reid said this past week that Kansas City isn’t “down on Xavier Worthy,” and the Broncos will need to account for Worthy on every single snap without defensive leaders Pat Surtain II and green-dot captain Singleton.

    Post predictions

    Parker Gabriel, Broncos reporter: Kansas City 23, Denver 21

    The Broncos are 6-2 in one-score games. The Chiefs are 0-4. And yet K.C. is a 4-point road favorite against the team with the NFL’s longest home winning streak. Sean Payton will readily remind anyone listening that you are what your record says you are, but your record does not necessarily forecast what you’re expected to be going forward. The West tightens by one turn.

    Luca Evans, Broncos reporter: Kansas City 24, Denver 20

    This is not the week to be missing J.K. Dobbins, Pat Surtain II and Alex Singleton, who are among the 10 most important players on this Broncos roster. Kansas City is vulnerable. So is Denver, suddenly, with a rash of injuries and absences. Let’s circle back to this matchup in Week 17 on Christmas.

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    Luca Evans

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  • Broncos’ Jonathon Cooper not fazed by Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart: ‘Ain’t nothing we haven’t seen’

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    The kings of New York are here, and they are 22 and 23 years old. In the span of three short weeks, a rookie quarterback and a rookie running back have revitalized the downtrodden Big Blue with sheer frat-bro energy. They exchange vibrational communication by touching heads like baby elephants, and the quarterback sports a diamond necklace, and the running back does flips in the end zone after touchdowns.

    Their names are Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo, and this New York Giants duo appears to fear nothing. Certainly not head trauma. Dart flung himself noggin-first into an Eagles defender in Week 5, and has been evaluated for a concussion three times in four games. Skattebo got himself ready for games at Arizona State by pounding his helmet against a brick wall. They have infused Jersey with a little Gen-Z flair, and their swagger was enough to bury the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles on Thursday Night Football last week.

    But a stable of Broncos await in Denver on Sunday, ready to kick. This is confidence on confidence. Denver’s locker room has “our Skattebo,” as defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers pointed, in Jonathon Cooper — a muscled-up 27-year-old former seventh-rounder who came out from the locker room at every training camp practice roaring at nobody in particular. And who just won the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. And is part of a Broncos pass-rush that fears nothing, either.

    Certainly not the Giants’ 22-year-old rookie quarterback with his reckless legs and golden flow.

    “I mean, he’s a young guy,” Cooper said of Dart, his nose curling up in a sneer. “He’s feeling himself a lil’ bit. He’s out there running around. He’s got the chain on. He’s dancing. I feel like everybody needs something, you know.

    “But we’ve went against QBs who have ran around in the pocket and who’ve tried to do stuff with their legs,” Cooper said. “So, ain’t nothing we haven’t seen.”

    Skattebo and Dart will bring a heap of earned chutzpah on the plane with them to Denver Sunday. But this Broncos’ defense’s own confidence at every level — and its play-caller’s — is as high as it’s been all season, after sacking Jets quarterback Justin Fields nine times last Sunday. The stat-sheet from London is still burning: -10 net passing yards for the Jets, a fact that prompted a hat-tip from Giants head coach Brian Daboll on Wednesday.

    “They’re just really good,” Daboll said. “They play good coverage, complement it with the front. They disguise well. I mean, they’re as good as it gets right now.”

    Since taking over from former Bronco Russell Wilson in Week 3, Dart has played largely excellent football in a 2-1 stretch, with wins over the Chargers and Eagles. The former Ole Miss QB’s legs have become a major engine to New York’s offense, with 167 rushing yards in that span. He’s escaped pressure with aplomb.

    The Broncos’ pass-rush, however, has seen two of the league’s best scrambling quarterbacks the past two weeks. They turned the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts into a thrower in Week 5 — two carries for three yards — and turned Philadelphia’s offense one-dimensional because of it. Then they turned the Jets’ Fields into, frankly, a shell of an NFL quarterback in Week 6.

    It’s one of head coach Sean Payton’s favorite sayings: Confidence is born from demonstrated ability. This Broncos front has it.

    “We play one of the best quarterbacks twice a year, every single year,” Cooper said Wednesday, likely referring to the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes. “So once you go against that, you kinda get a feel of the game. And, you know what you need to do. You gotta make ‘em feel uncomfortable in the pocket.

    “So, you can’t let ‘em get that confidence and that ego going.”

    Their ego’s going, plenty. And deservedly so. The ability of the Broncos’ core four pass-rushers up front to win one-on-ones — Cooper, NFL sack leader Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen, Franklin-Myers — and the secondary’s ability to win in man coverage on the back-end has given coordinator Vance Joseph the ingredients and the gall of a mad scientist.

    With Denver backed up in their own territory and up two late in the fourth quarter against New York, at the short end of the stick relative to the clock, Joseph sent the house on three of the Jets’ last four downs. Sack. Incompletion. Seven-yard completion. Sack. Ballgame.

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    Luca Evans

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  • Broncos CB Pat Surtain II surrendered his most catches ever in Week 2. Did Colts attack him?

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    Pat Surtain II, his longtime trainer Chad Wilson likes to say, is the NFL’s version of Tony Gwynn. Or Wade Boggs.

    Both were perennial .300 hitters in the MLB. Both hardly ever struck out. It takes a certain discipline in a cornerback — as it does for a batter to always make contact — to work the same rep over and over and over again, Wilson reflected.

    “He’s that one big guard gate,” Wilson said, “that a lot of guys don’t have the passcode for.”

    The thing about being a .300 hitter, of course, is that you’ll get beat seven out of 10 times. And Indianapolis beat Surtain on Sunday.

    The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year led the Broncos with 11 tackles against the Colts. It was a stark contrast to his Week 1 involvement, when he went phantom mode in shadowing Titans wideout Calvin Ridley. Surtain being that involved as a playmaker means one thing — he was around the ball plenty. Advanced stats revealed the Colts weren’t hesitant to go after the All-Pro corner, as quarterback Daniel Jones targeted Surtain nine times and completed seven of those passes.

    That was tied for the most catches Surtain’s ever surrendered in an NFL game across his five-year career. One first-quarter play summed up his afternoon: Second-year Colts receiver Adonai Mitchell stuck his foot in the ground in a one-on-one rep on the outside, came back to the ball, and secured an 8-yard grab even with Surtain hanging all over him.

    Surtain simply glanced up from his knees at Mitchell, the CBS broadcast showing a smile on the cornerback’s face. A hat-tip of sorts.

    At surface level, the Colts and Jones appeared to solve the Surtain paradox for much of Week 2’s 29-28 win over the Broncos. But they didn’t specifically attack him as part of their game plan.

    On that throw to Mitchell, Jones’ eyes ranged across the middle before pivoting to Surtain’s matchup on the outside.

    “Do I think, on those Wednesday nights and Thursday nights in game plan meetings, they were out to target Patrick? I don’t think that was the case,” head coach Sean Payton said Monday morning. “I think a lot of it is progression of the route.”

    The Denver Post dug into each of the 38 snaps Surtain played on Sunday on passing-down situations, and the film revealed his matchup was rarely a first option: Jones appeared to cycle through his progressions to find Surtain’s receiver on five of those nine targets. Surtain surrendered one fourth-quarter target, when Jones checked around and found Colts receiver Alec Pierce sprinting away from Surtain on drag route. But film showed not a single one of Indianapolis’s fourth-quarter pass plays was specifically aimed toward the DPOY’s man or his area of the field in zone.

    Surtain ultimately gave up just 63 yards on those nine targets. He was only beaten by a step on three: that Pierce catch and a couple of first-down slants from Colts top target Michael Pittman Jr. It wasn’t Surtain’s best performance. But he shadowed assignments effectively on deep routes, and tagged over to the Colts’ Tyler Warren on numerous plays, only surrendering one catch in two targets against the 6-foot-5 rookie tight end.

    A second-quarter ankle injury didn’t appear to shake Surtain much, either. The corner said postgame that was “no excuse” for his play. He surrendered four catches once he returned late in the second quarter. One catch was a box-out from Warren, and one was a perfect ball from Jones to Pittman that Surtain actually tipped.

    “I think he was able to come back and he felt comfortable enough to come back,” Payton said Monday. “But I’m sure the technique he’ll look at today. He’ll want to clean up on a handful of those plays.”

    Surtain was tasked with a dizzying array of assignments. Sometimes shadowing Warren. Sometimes following Pittman. Sometimes picking up Pierce and Mitchell. And his numbers were skewed in large part because the Broncos’ pass-rush couldn’t get to Jones, giving the Colts quarterback ample time to cycle through his reads.

    Denver had 17 pressures on Jones on Sunday. They finished with one sack, according to Next Gen Stats.

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    Luca Evans

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  • Broncos CB Pat Surtain II checks in at No. 10 on NFL’s countdown of best players

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    If Pat Surtain II were choosing, he’d have been nine spots higher.

    As it stands, though the Broncos’ star corner and reigning defensive player of the year is in heady company.

    Surtain checked in at No. 10 on the NFL’s countdown of the best players in the league.

    “If I had to write a text book on cornerback play, it’d be Pat Surtain,” Baltimore cornerback and fellow 2024 Associated Press first-team All-Pro Marlon Humphrey said of Surtain in a video published by the NFL. “… There’s very few people that move that smoothly at his height, his size. It’s like poetry in motion. It’s honestly beautiful to see when he’s in press man, which is what he’s best at. It’s really impressive.”

    Surtain was ranked No. 52 last year by fellow NFL players and vaulted up the list after putting together as dominant a season as a corner can author. Surtain regularly shut down opposing teams’ top receiving options and likely cemented his grip on the DPOY award when he went toe-to-toe with Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase and held him in check while guarding him in a late-December matchup.

    “Having a guy that you can go out there and put on any receiver and you don’t hear about them the rest of the game, that does wonders for a D-line,” teammate Nik Bonitto, who himself was ranked No. 38 on the countdown, said in the video.

    Surtain’s part of a deep and talented Broncos secondary that added first-round pick Jahdae Barron and safety Talanoa Hufanga this offseason.

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    Parker Gabriel

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  • Broncos DL John Franklin-Myers focused on season after no extension: ‘We all just want to feel wanted’

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    NEW ORLEANS — John Franklin-Myers may not be thrilled, but he’s ready for regular-season football.

    The Broncos defensive tackle is entering the final year of a two-year, $15 million contract he signed after getting traded to Denver last spring.

    There’s been little sign of movement toward a deal, and sources told The Denver Post the sides did not negotiate this summer. That stands in contrast to veterans Courtland Sutton (four years, $92 million) and Zach Allen (four years, $102 million), who landed major long-term agreements. Fourth-year outside linebacker Nik Bonitto doesn’t have a new deal yet, but he said recently his team and the Broncos have had productive talks and that he thinks a deal “will get done.”

    Not so for Franklin-Myers, though he said any feelings he may have about his current status are now sidelined for the next several months.

    “We all just want to feel wanted, and I think when it’s time to play football, obviously money and stuff aside, I’m under contract,” Franklin-Myers said after Denver’s preseason finale. “So football is football. Obviously, we all want what we’re worth, but until then, shoot, I’m going to play football. It is what it is.”

    Franklin-Myers’ addition last year helped turn what was one of the NFL’s worst defensive fronts in 2023 into one of its best in 2024. His ability to rush the passer not only gave offenses fits, but it also kept them from being able to turn double teams toward Allen on a regular basis.

    Allen broke out with an 8.5-sack season and led all NFL defensive tackles with 67 pressures and 40 hits.

    “Zach’s my dawg. I said it from the jump,” Franklin-Myers said. “Man, (Jets defensive lineman) Quinnen Williams was a good friend of mine, played with him for a long time, and I was happier when he got paid than when I got paid. Zach Allen is no different. You talk about somebody who shows up every day. He earned the money.

    “He makes me better, makes the team better. He deserves his money. I’m all for it, and Zach deserves all of it.”

    Now, Franklin-Myers and Malcolm Roach appear poised to enter Week 1 without contractual security beyond this year. Roach laid out a straightforward approach earlier in camp in saying that if everybody plays well, everybody’s going to get paid. It’s just a matter of whether that’s in Denver or elsewhere.

    In the meantime, the defensive line has big goals.

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    Parker Gabriel

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