How Tyler Onyedim fits in the Broncos’ defensive-line room

The Broncos used a third-round pick on a defensive lineman for the second-consecutive year when they selected Tyler Onyedim on Friday night. But picking him at No. 66 was a tad different from when they selected Sai’vion Jones last year 35 slots later than the position at which Onyedim went off the board.

Still, the dynamic of the defensive-line room now becomes one of the most fascinating on the team. Because while the top line appears set with Zach Allen, D.J. Jones and Malcolm Roach — all of whom signed contract extensions in the last 14 months — the competition behind them for playing time will be fierce once pads go on in August.

Last year, the Broncos went heavy on the D-line, keeping seven players on the 53-man roster — one more than most 3-4 teams do. Allen, Jones, Roach and John Franklin-Myers were a collective fait accompli to make the team. So was Jones, given his draft status.

But Enyi Uwazurike and Jordan Jackson both did so well in training camp that the Broncos didn’t feel they could part ways with either of them, even though that meant scratching two defensive linemen from the active game-day roster for 11 of the final 12 regular-season games once Roach returned from injured reserve.

Franklin-Myers’ free-agency departure for Tennessee seemed poised to ease the logjam. Now, the Broncos are right back where they were again, with the potential of seven players fighting for five spots. And Onyedim’s status dictates that he’ll stick on the roster if he’s healthy.

The Broncos won’t need him to start immediately. But you’d like a No. 66 overall pick to at least be part of the immediate rotation, and not watching in sweats.

“Definitely when we’re taking a player in that spot, we discuss vision all the time,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “… They’re going to come in [and] earn their place.”

Uwazurike’s emergence as a stout run defender last year nudged Jackson to the game-day inactive list most weeks. It also prevented Jones from getting any traction; the LSU product played just 33 snaps in three games. That was a disappointing tally for a Round 3 choice, and while the quality of other players and their health had an impact, now Jones will find himself again in a scrum for snaps.

Jackson might end up being the odd man out after seeing his snap count drop from 310 to 85 last year — but that’s if the Broncos opt to go from seven defensive linemen to six. The question would then become which of Uwazurike, Onyedim and Jones is the sixth man in the mix, and thus the player left standing on the sideline and out of uniform in 2026.

It’s a testament to the rebuilding of the roster by Payton and George Paton that the Broncos can use a high third-round selection on a player who isn’t assured of even being in uniform in Week 1 — and that such a designation wouldn’t be a mark against him in his development. But that’s a legitimate possibility for Onyedim, who finds himself in a solid position group — but also one where you’re always looking to add more depth.

At the minimum, the Broncos found that.

BRONCOS HAD MINIMAL CONTACT WITH ONYEDIM BEFORE THE DRAFT

The Broncos had plenty of formal interviews at the NFL Scouting Combine and their usual array of “30” visits with prospects at team headquarters leading up to the NFL Draft.

But none of those were with the player they selected with what turned out to be their initial selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. As Onyedim himself noted, the extent of the contact between himself and Broncos officials involved conversations with defensive-line coach Jamar Cain.

“He said he really liked my play [and] he really liked the player I was. I feel like my contact went really, really good,” Onyedim said on a conference call with Denver-area media after the Broncos selected him with the No. 66 pick in the NFL Draft on Friday night.

But Onyedim admitted that he wasn’t certain when his last contact with the Broncos took place.

“I can’t lie — I can’t really remember the last time,” he said.

“I talked to a lot of teams. I think it was after or before my Pro Day, I was on the phone with them and everything. That’s all I remember for real. I don’t really remember the exact time.”

 

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