ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Spend a morning at Broncos practice, and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach's voice is likely to cut through a chorus of shoulder pads and whistles.
"You hear him before you see him," Head Coach Sean Payton said Thursday. "And I like that energy about him."
That voice and that contagious energy has made Roach one of the most crucial members of the Broncos' defense. Signed ahead of the 2024 season, the veteran defensive lineman delivered the most productive season of his career in his Denver debut, finishing with 43 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, eight quarterback hits, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Now entering his second season in orange and blue, Roach has embraced a critical role — not necessarily as a starter, but as the "sixth man" of the defensive front. Roach likened his approach to that of former NBA guard Lou Williams, who was a three-time Sixth Man of the Year award winner.
"The culture is a shared set of values that everybody has got to have," Roach said Friday. "If I'm over there pouting because I'm not starting, that's an energy vampire. Why would I worry about that when I'm still playing 40 snaps a game? When crunch time is on the line, I'm still out there in the game. … There isn't going to be any drop off when I get in the game, and that's why I say man that I'm like the sixth man of the year."
The "glue guy" label also fits Roach well. He's a spark on the sidelines, a positive force in the locker room and a disruptive presence on the field.
"I don't recall when I was in New Orleans that leadership. He was a younger player there," Payton said on June 10. "One of his great traits is he doesn't have bad days. If you guys have spent time interviewing him, he's upbeat, he comes out here with energy. I think that's contagious to his position group."
Roach went undrafted in 2020 and fought his way onto the Saints' roster during a COVID-shortened offseason that didn't include preseason games. He credits that experience — and mentors like Demario Davis and Cam Jordan — for shaping his approach.
"I don't have the ability to have a bad day because I know how I got into this league," Roach said. "I know I had to scratch and claw to get into this league. Undrafted and in the COVID year, we didn't even have preseason. I knew I had to go to practice every day and go hard. I knew guys like [former NFL linebacker] Craig Robertson — guys who played with me in New Orleans [such as] Demario Davis and Cam Jordan really showed me a good job of showing me the ropes of what it takes to make it in this league. And not just [make it] in this league but last in this league, because this is a tough job we do every day. I know if I come out with energy every day, love what I do — because I honestly do love what I do. Like I tell people, we get to go to recess every day like kids. How many jobs do you really know [where people] get to go on a green grass and really play football every day like we're back at recess? You can't take it lightly because you never know when your last play will be."
That love and competitiveness spills over into every practice. Whether it's hyping up cornerback Pat Surtain II, chirping with running back J.K. Dobbins or offering words of encouragement to cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian, Roach is always communicating. And it's not just noise — it's leadership.
"Everyone thinks it's always trash talk, but sometimes it's really just talking," Roach said. "I'll tell 'J-Mac' every day, 'You're the best in the business. You have to believe it.' I tell Pat Surtain every day, 'You are the best. We know you're the best. Every day, we're leaning on you. We know what you bring to the table.' I just feel like it's something contagious in this team. As we keep building this culture, it's who we are trying to be. I feel like it could be something special."
In a building where culture matters, there may be no better representative than that voice from the trenches: Malcolm Roach.
