Talanoa Hufanga injury absence a brutal blow for Broncos defense

Denver Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Talanoa Hufanga injury absence a brutal blow for Broncos defense

By Mike J. Asti | Last updated Oct 14, 2026 5:14 PM ET

At 3-2 and coming off a win over the Los Angeles Chargers, the Denver Broncos defense will be without an impact player for multiple weeks.

Denver safety Talanoa Hufanga is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks after leaving Sunday's game with an ankle injury, as first reported by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. A source told ESPN that most believe Hufanga will likely be out for at least two to three weeks.

Being without Talanoa Hufanga will be a blow to Denver's secondary

Hufanga, 26, now in his second season with Denver, recorded two tackles and created a forced fumble before exiting the game.

Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga is expected to miss multiple weeks with an ankle injury, per sources. One source estimated about 2-3 weeks, depending how he recovers. pic.twitter.com/8Eo02Dmbd0
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) October 14, 2026

While his absence doesn't come as a surprise — he hasn't practiced this week leading up to Denver's appearance on "Thursday Night Football" against the Seattle Seahawks, it will remove a player from the secondary who started all 17 regular-season games in 2025.

Talanoa Hufanga has been productive since signing with Denver ahead of last season

Hufanga has 23 tackles, with 12 credited as solo, three pass deflections, two interceptions, one sack and the forced fumble in six games so far this season. And in 2025, he put together the best season of his career to date.

He made a career-high 106 tackles with 11 pass deflections, two sacks and a forced fumble during his debut year with the Broncos.

Hufanga signed a three-year, $45 million contract with $20 million guaranteed to join the Broncos in March 2025 after spending his first four years with the San Francisco 49ers.

Drafted by San Francisco in the fifth round in 2021 out of USC, Hufanga was named a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler in 2022 and has 348 tackles with nine interceptions and five sacks in 71 games across six seasons.

Mike J. Asti

Mike Asti is an experienced media personality and journalist with a vast resume and skillset, most notably from time with TribLIVE Radio and WPXI-TV. Asti now serves as the Managing Editor of WV Sports Now, where he leads the coverage of WVU sports. He has also covered the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and other teams within the Pittsburgh market

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