Breaking Down Broncos' 2025 Cash Commitments to the DL

Along with spending a lot of money on the offensive line, the Denver Broncos have committed a significant chunk of money toward the defense, as they seek to take advantage of quarterback Bo Nix’s inexpensive contract.

The Broncos are likely to commit more money to the defense in the coming years, with several key players up for extensions. One instance comes with the interior defensive line, with two players entering the final year of their contracts and a third having recently signed a new deal.

Let’s examine the interior defensive linemen to see exactly how much cap and cash the Broncos are committing to the position and what might be expected in future seasons.

Zach Allen

• 2025 cap hit: $19.975M
• 2025 cash commitment: $13/25M

Allen enters the final year of the three-year, $45.75M contract he signed back in 2023, for which the Broncos restructured the second year of the deal to gain cap space. After having two of his best seasons as a pro, Allen is in position to demand a significant raise and enter the upper tier of interior defensive linemen salaries — perhaps hitting $25M APY.

Should the Broncos extend Allen, they will be committing significantly more money to him than they are now. And if he is extended, that may mean another lineman departs — one we’ll get to next.

John Franklin-Myers

• 2025 cap hit: $10M
• 2025 cash commitment: $8M

After acquiring JFM in a trade with the New York Jets last year, he renegotiated his contract, which paid him $15M over two seasons. Franklin-Myers, who is in the final year of his contract, has indicated he would like a new deal.

Here, the Broncos will have to make a choice between Allen and Franklin-Myers. While it’s not likely that JFM will command top dollar, he’s certain to want to be paid much more than $7.5M APY.

Trading Franklin-Myers doesn’t make sense at this time because he’s a starter, though it remains to be seen whether another player emerges in training camp. However, unless the Broncos fail to extend Allen, Franklin-Myers will most likely leave in free agency in 2026.

D.J. Jones

• 2025 cap hit: $6.6M
• 2025 cash commitment: $13M

The Broncos re-signed Jones to a three-year, $39M contract before the start of the new league year. It might have surprised some that the Broncos brought him back, but it appears they valued continuity in the lineup.

Jones’ deal include $13M in fully guaranteed money in 2026, meaning that a trade or retirement are the only ways to get out of that commitment.

The Broncos at least know how much they will have to commit to Jones next year and they know they can get out of the deal in 2027. Thus, their biggest long-term questions are what to do with Allen, Franklin-Myers and the next player we’ll consider.

Malcolm Roach

• 2025 cap hit: $4.25M
• 2025 cash commitment: $3M

The Broncos signed Roach to a two-year deal last season and he did well as a rotational player. He will like serve in a rotational role again this season, in the final year of his contract.

Roach is one of those players who the Broncos may not extend right away. Part of it does go back to the fact that they are likely to commit a lot of money to Allen, so they might have to let Roach leave in free agency.

However, if Roach doesn’t seek a big payday, but one that is more in line with what a rotational player should get, he might come back in 2026. But expect the Broncos to let him test the market first.

Eyioma Uwazurike

• 2025 cap hit: $1.22M
• 2025 cash commitment: $1.03M

Uwazurike was a 2022 fourth-round pick who missed the 2023 season, after being suspended for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. The result was his contract rolled over, meaning he is with the Broncos through 2026.

Because Uwazurike has been used as a depth player, he likely won’t earn any proven performance escalators that would increase his 2026 salary, currently at $1.145M.

As things stand, Uwazurike is a solid depth player but is unproven as a starter. But if he impresses in training camp, the Broncos might consider an increased role, which might mean he earns PPE for 2026.

Sai’Vion Jones

• 2025 cap hit: $1.12M
• 2025 cash commitment: $1.96M

The Broncos’ 2025 third-round pick, Jones is expected to serve as depth this season. However, there could be the expectation that he eventually starts.

With Allen, Franklin-Myers and Roach all in the final year of their deals, and with at least one likely playing elsewhere in 2026, there will be expectations that Jones can eventually step into a starting role.

Drafting Jones this year was a smart move, because it will allow the Broncos a potential starter who plays on an inexpensive draft pick contract.

What it All Means

The six players mentioned account for $43.165M in cap space and $40.24M in cash commitments. That doesn’t include other players who are competing for depth spots, though some will likely be on the practice squad once the season begins.

It’s a lot of money to commit to the defensive line, but as we saw last year, having a quality defensive line does a lot to help with defensive performance. Allen and Franklin-Myers were particularly valuable last year.

As mentioned, the Broncos made a good move in drafting Sai’Vion Jones, who gives them somebody who will get his chance to show he can be a starter in the future, or if he really impresses, a starter as a rookie.

If the Broncos do extend Allen — a move I would say is a priority — they are certain to be committing a significant amount to him. However, the team can certainly structure a deal that pays Allen well this and next season, while also providing a way out in either 2027 or 2028, when Nix will account for a larger cap hit and cash commitment.

One might expect the Broncos to add another interior defender in the draft in 2026 if things work out. At the very least, the Broncos will need to shore up the depth.

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And when it comes to resources committed, the Broncos need to commit as much to the defense as they do to the offense, even when it comes time to pay their quarterback. The question that must be asked is how much the Broncos continue to commit to the defensive line, particularly with other defensive positions to fill.

We’ll look more at other defensive positions in future installments.