Broncos' Vet Slams PFF Publicly Over New DL Ranking

Does Franklin-Myers have cause to be that dismissive of PFF's D-line rankings? Let's examine.

The biggest question with these rankings is how much you factor depth versus top-notch talent. Some of the teams ahead of the Broncos, such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and Detroit Lions, all have that top-tier player, but lack the same depth or consistency across the line.

T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, and Aidan Hutchinson are all better than anyone the Broncos have, but they don’t have much around them with their respective teams. Cam Heyward and Alex Highsmith help the Steelers, and while they drafted Derrick Harmon, he is a complete unknown.

The debate is whether Watt, Heyward, and Highsmith are a better trio than the Broncos'. Denver is seven deep across its defensive front. Even if you add Keeanu Benton, there is still an argument there for the Broncos, especially when Buday actually writes that Denver's D-line "might be the deepest."

Seven players on the Broncos' defensive front ranked in the top 50 players at their position. The Steelers had six, but with two in the top 20 and three in the top 30 at their position. While the argument can be made, the Steelers are rightfully ahead of the Broncos.

The reason we started by making the case that the Broncos have an argument to be ranked higher than the Steelers is that Pittsburgh ranked first in Buday’s rankings. If there is a debate for the Broncos to possibly be ranked higher than the top team, there's an argument for every team ahead of Denver.

Besides the Browns and Lions, the other teams ahead of Denver are the Philadelphia Eagles (2), New York Giants (3), Houston Texans (4), and the Buffalo Bills (6). Three of those lines should be ahead of the Steelers, and are better than what the Broncos have, but with the way PFF ranked them, it suggests that isn’t the case. The Eagles, Giants, and Texans are the three best defensive fronts in the NFL, even with some losses their units may have suffered. 

The Broncos should rank fourth or fifth, depending on where you land in the Broncos-Steelers debate. The Broncos should also be ahead of the Bills, Browns, and Lions.

Myles Garrett highlights the Browns, and even though Cleveland drafted Mason Graham, he has yet to play a down in the NFL. That's all that Buday mentions, and all the Browns have when you look at the depth chart. Garrett is among the best defenders in the NFL, but he alone isn’t enough to land the Browns over the Broncos. 

Hutchinson is a great player for the Lions, but he suffered a serious injury in 2024, and there are concerns about his play for 2025 following the injury. The same applies to Alim McNiell, but there are some questions surrounding them.

The Lions have had issues surrounding the other edge rushers, and D.J. Reader should help the interior, along with Tyleik Williams, but he has yet to play a down in the NFL. There shouldn’t be much debate about the Broncos being ahead of the Lions. 

Now, the Bills are an interesting case as they are similar to the Broncos. Buffalo has some good depth and great contributors, but lacks stars. Gregory Rousseau is a fine edge, and Ed Oliver is a good chess piece on the Bills' defensive line.

Daquan Jones is an acceptable nose tackle, and Joey Bosa is a good addition when he is healthy. If Bosa returns to his former level and can stay healthy, the Bills would have the edge over the Broncos, but since that's still an unresolved question, the Broncos should take that spot because they don't have the same concerns.

The Broncos should be ranked much higher than No. 8. Nowadays, though, illogical rankings such as these are what we have to expect from PFF — the same site that had the Broncos' defensive front ranked 31st out of 32 a year ago.

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