Broncos may have their new interior pass-rush specialist already set to go

Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph might have offered a hint last month at what Sai’vion Jones’ role could end up being in his second NFL season.

The third-round pick saw little action last year, thanks to good health from players at his Broncos position group and the presence of Jordan Jackson, who played all 17 games last year but barely got on the field in the 2025 season — and then wasn’t used for any defensive snaps in the divisional-playoff game for which he was active.

Since Jackson couldn’t get on the field often, Jones was going to be in an even more constricted situation. And his playing time bore that out last year — 33 snaps in three games played. His 39 total snaps — including special teams — were the fifth-fewest among Round 3 picks last year, and two of the four players with fewer snaps missed the entire season due to injuries.

But with John Franklin-Myers now in Tennessee, everyone not named Zach Allen has the chance to move up. And Joseph noted, replacing Franklin-Myers could call for different players in specific roles — with Jones a player he mentioned by name.

“Losing JFM, we got multiple guys who have to play those roles, and maybe it’s different roles,” Joseph said last month. “Maybe it’s a first-, second-down run-stopping role, and Sai’vion takes over the pass-rush role. So, we have options there.”

 

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And Jones would seem to fit the bill. With 289 pounds on a 6-foot-5 frame, Jones’ length and body type should fit well in a pass-rush specialist role, if that’s what is specifically asked of him.

ROOKIE SPLASHES CAN BE DIFFICULT TO MAKE FOR INTERIOR D-LINEMEN, EVEN WITHOUT FACING THE BRONCOS LOGJAM OF ’25

Sure, you have some unicorns like Aaron Donald and Joey Bosa, who had 9 and 10.5 sacks in their rookie seasons of 2014 and 2016, respectively, earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in the process. But the path to playing time typically requires some development. Even Zach Allen played just four games as a rookie in 2019 with the Arizona Cardinals, although a neck injury played a role in limiting him.

An instructive example from the Broncos’ past is Super Bowl 50 touchdown scorer Malik Jackson, who capped his four seasons with the Broncos in Super Bowl 50 by recovering a fumble for a score. Jackson also had a hit of then-Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and a tackle for loss that day.

Jackson played 12 percent of the defensive snaps in 2012 as a rookie, but then soared to a 52-percent rate in 2013 when the Broncos won the AFC title. His sack tally spiked, too, from zero to 6. Four pounds and 13 draft classes separate Jones from Jackson, but their skill sets share plenty of common traits: length, fluid movement, quickness.

If Jones can seize the role that Joseph suggests, don’t be surprised to see him make the same Year Two leap as Jackson did.

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