Broncos Training Camp powered by Ford is just over a week away, and we're continuing our annual position-by-position look at the Broncos' roster.

In this edition, we're focusing on the defensive line, where the Broncos will feature a new starter along its defensive front.

TOP STORYLINE

Who will step into the starting lineup?

After a pair of seasons in Denver, defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers departed the Broncos in free agency and signed with the Tennessee Titans. Now, Denver will be tasked with replacing the 15-game starter along a defensive line that helped fuel the league's second-ranked total defense and rushing defense.

The Broncos, though, seem prepared to meet the moment. Denver traded up to select LSU defensive end Sai'vion Jones in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and the Broncos then added defensive lineman Tyler Onyedim with their first selection of the 2026 NFL Draft. Former fourth-round pick Eyioma Uwazurike also returns after setting career-highs in every statistical category in 2025. Uwazurike appeared in 17 games, recording 39 tackles, 3.5 sacks, five tackles for loss and five quarterback hits.

Jones, Onyedim, Uwazurike, Jordan Jackson and Matt Henningsen figure to be among the players competing for a role, and Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph said young players earning an elevated role is the Broncos' intended path this summer.

"We've drafted to that position fairly well, so we've got young guys that we expect to step up and play," Joseph said in June. "That's their job. That's why we drafted those guys."

Joseph indicated the Broncos could fill the role through multiple contributors, including having one player work on first and second down while another handles the third-down efforts.

"We have options there," Joseph said. "We've drafted this position to replace those veteran guys who have moved on."

STAT TO KNOW

1-of-2.

An impact player since arriving in Denver in 2023, defensive end Zach Allen received well-deserved recognition as he earned his first Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections for his 2025 campaign. Allen led the NFL in quarterback hits with 47, and his 73 quarterback pressures were the most among all interior defensive linemen, according to Pro Football Focus.

In 2025, Allen joined three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt as the only players since 2006 with at least 40 quarterback hits in back-to-back seasons.

"I was with Zach from his rookie year to now, and he's gotten bigger and stronger over time," Joseph said in June. "He's played the run game better. His rush I.Q. has gotten better. [He's] just improving. That's the toughest thing for players when they have success. Can they go back to the drawing board and improve? Again, that's human nature. 'Hey man, I'm already a Pro Bowler. What's next?' But you have to improve. If you're not improving in this league, people are going to catch you. Even defensively, we have to improve in all areas to be the same we were last year."

Allen was among the league's best in 2025, and it will be crucial for the Broncos' defense for him to continue to play at a high level.

PLAYER TO WATCH

DL Tyler Onyedim

As the Broncos' top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Onyedim will work to earn a spot in Denver's rotation as a rookie. The 66th-overall pick enters his first training camp after posting career-highs in sacks (2.5) and tackles for loss (8.5) in his lone season at Texas A&M in 2025.

"I think going through this process, it was really the athleticism and playing a position that it's always hard to find: defensive tackles," Head Coach Sean Payton said of Onyedim after the draft. "His strike, his shed. But it was the athlete, the makeup. Those were the traits."

When the team begins its padded practices and gets to the preseason, Onyedim will be able to show those traits that stood out to Denver.

"The offensive and defensive linemen in these camps, we talk about staying up," Payton said in May. "The closer to the ball you are, the more challenging this kind of practice format is. They are the ones that it just gets easier [to evaluate] when the pads get on."

… AND ONE MORE THING

Malcolm Roach started just two games in 2025, but there's no doubting the impact he has on Denver's defense.

In his second season with the Broncos, Roach played 50 percent of Denver's defensive snaps in the 12 games in which he appeared and notched 41 tackles, five quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and a career-high four sacks.

Roach was a key factor on the Broncos' second-ranked run defense, and Payton referenced Roach's positional versatility after the veteran signed a contract extension in November. Roach's impact, though, extends beyond his play on the field.

"To have him back in the lineup, there's so much you get with him," Payton said in October after Roach returned from a stint on injured reserve to begin the season. "Often times I spend too much time talking about his juice, his energy, his upbeat personality. You guys have covered him now. He rarely has bad days, and he brings this infectious personality. On the field, obviously, he plays extremely hard. He has good football IQ and instincts, so he can kind of anticipate things prior to them happening. We're better when he's in our lineup and in our rotation, and I'm certainly glad he's with us."

A former undrafted player who is now entering his seventh season, Roach's importance to the Broncos shouldn't be overlooked.