ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — A season after earning All-Pro honors and helping the Broncos boast one of the league's best defenses, veteran safety Talanoa Hufanga knows what's most important as Denver begins training camp.
That's protecting the standard.
Denver's defensive highlights date back decades to Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Gradishar and the Orange Crush defense, which gave way to a pair of hard-hitting safeties in Steve Atwater and Dennis Smith and Ring of Famers in Karl Mecklenburg and Simon Fletcher. Hall of Fame teammates Champ Bailey and John Lynch continued a tradition of excellence, and the "No Fly Zone" and Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller led the Broncos to their latest Lombardi Trophy.
The most recent iteration of Denver's defensive excellence features a group that has led the NFL in sacks in each of the last two seasons. The Broncos ranked second in total defense and third in scoring defense in 2025, which marked the second consecutive season in which Denver posted a top-three scoring unit.
Hufanga joined the Broncos ahead of the most recent campaign, and he stressed the importance of upholding Denver's defensive standard as he enters his second season with the Broncos.
"I think for us, the message that's been kind of set is, 'The standard,'" Hufanga said Thursday. "There's always a standard that you [set], at least for our defense. What does that standard look like? It's guys being in early, it's guys staying late, it's guys studying and it's guys learning."
That standard, Hufanga said, permeates beyond play calls and schematics. Rather, it's the way the team plays.
"At the end of the day, it's really the type of style that you play," Hufanga said. "The schematics is always going to be down there and that's game plan to game plan, but what's the style that you want? I think that's what Coach always refers to us is, 'The standard.' It's guys running to the ball, guys flying, guys finishing plays and being physical. Obviously, we don't have pads on yet, but being physical players as a defense. That's what they've set as a groundwork here. I was able to be blessed to come into it last year. At the end of the day, you want to push it forward for the guys that are young, new."
As the Broncos aim to honor that standard — both the recent iteration and the long-established tradition — Hufanga said he knows forcing more turnovers must be a key focus.
Despite Denver's defensive success a year ago, the team finished tied for 26th in takeaways — and the Broncos' defense played eight games in which it did not force a turnover. Entering training camp, Hufanga said the focus on takeaways has been among the top coaching points for Denver's defense.
"It was the first thing," Hufanga said of the emphasis on creating turnovers. "For us, it's just really attacking the ball. Whether it's in the air or in the ground game. … We did a really good job of getting sacks, but how can we get to sacks with a forced fumble? Or how can we change this pass deflection into an interception — or a tip just to get somebody else an interception? It's been talked about, and it's been drilled. At the end of the day, guys were working in the offseason to really make sure that's a point of emphasis."
Hufanga re-emphasized his own role in increasing turnovers, as he again referenced a number of opportunities in 2025 on which he was unable to capitalize.
"I left a lot of — we call it money — money on the field as a team," Hufanga said. "For me, [I'm] going in and working and hopefully coming down with a few this year."
The Broncos' emphasis on maintaining that standard began this week, even as Denver began its summer work with a pair of acclimation practices. Those two practices, Hufanga said, featured a group of players ready to work and ready to start "a long journey" toward what they hope to accomplish.
"I think the tone was already set at OTAs," Hufanga said. "… Everybody's feet were on the field today, and we were ready to go."
