When it came to John Franklin-Myers’s looming free agency, the Denver Broncos spoke on the subject without addressing it directly during the club’s Week 12 bye. The message was loud and clear after the Broncos extended defensive tackle Malcolm Roach on a two-year deal, as well as kicker Wil Lutz and center Luke Wattenberg.
Franklin-Myers would hit free agency in March of 2026 and quickly signed a lucrative multi-year deal with the Tennessee Titans. According to him, at no point did the Broncos ever reach out about an extension, not even to check on what he was looking for money-wise.
The Broncos knew that, after posting 14.5 sacks as an interior pass rusher over his two seasons with the club, Franklin-Myers’s value was going to be more than they were willing to pay, especially with the salary-cap commitments the team already had in fellow defensive linemen Zach Allen and D.J. Jones.
The Broncos found some money for Roach, though. And listening to defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Roach may always have been part of the plan to replace JFM in 2026 and beyond.
“He played really well for us last year,” Joseph said of Roach on June 11. “He’s obviously a big man who’s tough to move, but he’s improving. To watch where he was in Week 1 compared to where he was by the playoff game was really impressive. You could see it in his firmness against the run and in his pass rush.”
Confidence in Roach
Roach missed the first five weeks of the 2025 season with a calf strain. He returned in Week 6, and as you can tell from Joseph’s remarks, Roach tried to make up for lost time.
Roach’s performance, combined with his 2024 contributions, gave the Broncos a lot of confidence they could part ways with JFM. The Broncos have also drafted multiple defensive linemen over the last few years, and eventually, those players are expected to step up and contribute.
Roach wasn’t a draft pick; the Broncos signed the former New Orleans Saint as a free agent in the spring of 2024. But players like Eyioma Uwazurike, Matt Henningsen, Sai’vion Jones, and Tyler Onyedim (a 2026 third-rounder) were drafted by the Broncos.
Joseph expects them to help fill the vacuum created by JFM’s departure, but it sounds like Roach is being eyed as the new starter, with Uwazurike as the pass-rush specialist.
“Again, losing JFM means we have multiple guys who have to fill those roles, and maybe those roles look a little different. Maybe Malcolm handles more of the early-down run-stopping work and someone like Eyioma Uwazurike takes over more of the pass-rush responsibilities,” Joseph said. “We have options there. We’ve drafted this position specifically to replace veteran players who eventually move on, and Malcolm is one of those guys.”
The Broncos gave Roach a three-year, $27.8 million deal. He’s making $9.2 million per year, and he’s going to earn it this time around.
Time For the Young Guys to Step Up
However, that doesn’t mean that Denver’s young D-line corps won’t be contributing. When the time comes, Allen believes they’ll be ready to do their part.
“A lot of this group is the same group that’s been here the last year or two. They’ve had the same coaching and have been developing in the same system,” Allen said during OTAs. “Sai’vion Jones is a great example. We were so deep last year that it was tough for him to get into games, but we saw every day in practice how talented he was.”
When it comes to the defensive line, as coached by Jamar Cain and coordinated by Joseph, “the standard is the standard.” But it sounds like much will be expected of Roach out of the gate.
“Malcolm Roach is another guy. If he hadn’t dealt with the calf injury, his production in the games he played was outstanding,” Allen said. “Like I’ve said, it’s a great group. The standard is the standard. That’s our goal, and we’re going to do everything we can to reach it.”
In 12 games last season, Roach totaled 41 tackles (15 solo), three tackles for a loss, and a career-high four sacks. For a rotational piece upfront, that’s impressive production.
The Takeaway
There’s a reason why the Broncos opted to pay Roach and not Franklin-Myers. Roach came in at under $10 million/year, which was certainly part of the reason why he’s still here and JFM isn’t, but it’s not the only one.
Roach expemplifies the culture the Broncos have built under Sean Payton. And entering his seventh NFL season, Roach is finally poised to get his big opportunity to be a starter, on the heels of getting the bag.
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