Report: Broncos 'Expected to Sign' UFL Star Dondrea Tillman

Before arriving in the NFL's unofficial minor league, Tillman played collegiate ball at Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he registered 82 solo tackles, 28 sacks, two interceptions, and a pair of defensive touchdowns across 48 career games.

Tillman went undrafted and had a one-and-done stint with the Conquerors of the now-defunct Spring League. Then the 26-year-old found a home in the UFL, initially as part of the United States Football League (USFL) prior to its 2023 merger with the similarly-upstart XFL.

Tillman was an integral component of the Stallions' defense, notching 92 total tackles (51 solo) and 8.5 sacks while helping lead the dynasty to its three-peat.

Assuming pen touches paper, Tillman will join a revamped Broncos defensive line that includes new arrivals John Franklin-Myers, Malcolm Roach, and Angelo Blackson. He'll likely compete for a backup role behind starting DE Zach Allen or, at worst, a spot on the practice squad.

When it comes to the trenches, there's no such thing as too much beef — a lesson learned the hard way.

“Last year with the rush defense, it wasn’t every game, it was just spotty. I think having those two guys inside to hold a point for us and to change the L.O.S. [line of scrimmage], that’s important," defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said of Franklin-Myers and Roach. "With our run defense, both guys have a history of doing that. So that should help us tremendously. Tackling was our issue with run defense. So improving our tackling, that’s also going to help us. We gave up some big runs, and it wasn’t because of gap fits, it was missed tackles, so improving our tackling should help that."