Broncos replaced Justin Simmons with a top-10 defender thus far

The Denver Broncos replaced beloved safety Justin Simmons with a top-10 defender in the NFL so far this season.

Take a bow, Brandon Jones.

When Denver cut Simmons in March to save a good chunk of money against the salary cap, fans were upset. After all, Simmons had been a lone bright spot on a team that had been terrible for nearly a decade.

And when Denver signed Jones to take over for Simmons, the collective reaction from a lot of Broncos Country was “who?” But Jones has been great for Vance Joseph’s defense through four games, recording 24 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He’s also been credited with two passes defended.

Pro Football Focus released its list of the top-10 defenders in the NFL so far this season on Wednesday, and Jones checked in at No. 10. This isn’t just at safety, this is every position across the entire league. It’s pretty impressive company he’s keeping.

The elite defenders this season 😤 pic.twitter.com/obKlczuThX

— PFF (@PFF) October 2, 2024

Guys like Fred Warner, Aidan Hutchinson, T.J. Watt, Nick Bosa and Myles Garrett are household names. It’s nice to see the Broncos have a representative on that list, with Jones earning the honors.

Elsewhere, PFF says defensive lineman Zach Allen is second in the NFL in pressures, trailing only Hutchinson. Add it all up, and the Broncos defense is giving up 256.5 yards per game, which is tied for second best in the league with the Jets. Only the Titans are better, giving up 243.8 yards per game.

None of this is meant to slander Simmons, by the way. It’s just pointing out it was probably best for both sides to move on, and head coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton did a nice job of identifying Jones as their target.

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