Now, with the publishing of this comprehensive look at all nine of the Denver Broncos safeties, our position preview series is done and we can finally shift our focus towards the draft.
What are the biggest concerns facing the Broncos’ safety room in 2025? Let’s look.
Talanoa Hufanga
How Did 2024 Go For Them?
2024 was an injury-riddled season for Talanoa Hufanga that saw him miss the most games he has in any season so far.
Hufanga blowing up the Rams same side toss concept. Demarcus Robinson had no chance and he is a willing run blocker. pic.twitter.com/TbETG1ynOG
— Robby (@Robby_NFL) March 11, 2025
After tearing his ACL in November of 2023, Hufanga was still rehabbing through the first two weeks of this season but returned to the field in Week 3. He, unfortunately, then missed Week 4 with an ankle injury. In Week 5, he played but again suffered a setback. Hufanga missed the next seven weeks with a wrist injury described as “a freak accident” by The Athletic’s Matt Barrows on KOA Sports.
Ultimately, the star 49ers safety played just seven games, and he failed to replicate the same All-Pro-caliber impact he had in past seasons.
Over the first three seasons of his career, Hufanga was a constant disruptor, yet he failed to intercept or disrupt a single pass in 2024. He also allowed a completion rate of 92.3% when targeted in this past season but in past seasons, he never even crossed 69%.
Now, hopefully this was a product of him not having a full offseason and struggling to find his footing. He still was able to fly around the field and seemed to possess the same movement skills he had in prior seasons, so his poor season could have simply been the result of him being a little rusty with some nagging injuries, but it’s hard to overlook the decline in his play.
Thankfully for him, it appears the Broncos have a more optimistic outlook for him, signing him to a three-year, $39 million deal. Nonetheless, it would’ve been an even richer payday had he stayed healthy.
Grade: C-
What Needs To Be Addressed This Offseason?
What is the culprit for the drop in play this past season?
The two big concerns with Hufanga’s deal are his recent injury history and his relatively disappointing 2024 campaign. Injuries are practically impossible to forecast, but the source of his lackluster year is something worth interrogating further.
Was it rust? Was it poor coaching from the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, who was one-and-done in the role this past year? If so, there’s little to be concerned about for 2025.
Was it the ACL? If so, that’s troubling. The Broncos just made a mammoth investment in the safety, and if he’s been forever changed by his devastating knee injury, it will be extremely difficult for him to reclaim his former glory or for Denver to get a quality return on their investment.
2022 Talanoa Hufanga was a monster. Hopefully Denver's strength and conditioning team can help him return to his pre-injury form. pic.twitter.com/HseM6n6J3r
— Frankie Abbott (@FrankiesFilm) March 11, 2025
That said, we regularly see players take massive strides the year following their return from an ACL injury. Famously, Cooper Kupp tore his ACL in 2018 and slowly returned to form over the 2019 and 2020 seasons before winning the NFL wide receiver’s version of the Triple Crown and Super Bowl MVP in 2021.
What Should the Denver Broncos Do?
The Denver Broncos should consider a meaningful investment on a safety with upside potential in the 2025 NFL Draft.
This is far from the most pressing concern Denver should have on its radar, but they would still be wise to plan for the future.
Outside Hufanga and his red flags, the Broncos have a shaky room at the position. Brandon Jones is a great starter along the free-agent addition, but it’s murky after that point. P.J. Locke is a quality reserve option, but it’s very likely he’ll be cut between now and the start of the season, and no one else has demonstrated they can be trusted as a reserve option. Plus, only J.L. Skinner seems to offer starter potential.
To insulate themselves against the Hufanga signing going up, they could stand to add an emergency parachute.
Brandon Jones
How Did 2024 Go For Them?
One of the most prudent and impactful signings any NFL team made last offseason was the Denver Broncos’ signing of Brandon Jones to a three-year, $20 million deal.
The Broncos looked at his tremendous play from earlier in his career and gambled that his recent struggles were merely the product of poor defensive coaching and bad injury luck. It’s a process eerily similar to the one they followed with the signing of Talanoa Hufanga this spring.
Vance Joseph and Denver’s front office can only hope that this year’s gamble turns out to be even close to as good as their bet on Jones.
Brandon Jones was an incredible swiss army knife for Denver last season, displaying great range and ballskills when playing deep, combined with consistent tackling and man-to-man ability when playing closer to the LOS. It's no small feat to make the loss of Justin Simmons go… pic.twitter.com/CfWGjnSDsq
— Frankie Abbott (@FrankiesFilm) February 28, 2025
Upon entering the team’s defensive lineup, Jones immediately became a force that opponents could feel bearing down on them nearly every snap. Jones led the team in tackles and finished just one pass breakup and one interception of tying Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II for the team lead in those categories, and also finished second to Surtain in passer rating allowed.
No one likes second place, but it’s plenty acceptable to finish second to one of the greatest cornerback seasons of the past 30 years.
In fact, Jones was so impactful that he arguably upgraded on the play Justin Simmons provided in 2023 and undeniably made the fanbase forget about Simmons much quicker than anyone would have anticipated.
Now, he’s locked into a starting spot, has a clean bill of health, and should be in line for a hefty raise sometime in the next 20 months.
Grade: A+
What Needs To Be Addressed This Offseason?
Coming off such a strong season, there’s very little to worry about regarding Brandon Jones.
PICKED!
— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
Brandon Jones gets the ball back for the @Broncos.
📺: #DENvsTB – Sunday on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/gbDwujQh4b
The only concern that might crop up is that neither he nor Talanoa Hufanga are prototypical single-high free safeties, and Vance Joseph majors in Cover 1 and Cover 3 — two single-high concepts.
That said this was also a concern last year, as Jones attempted to mesh with P.J. Locke. Joseph used both pretty evenly between the two roles, which made the defense less predictable, and Jones played marvelously when forced to play deep.
So, there isn’t much reason to be concerned about how he’ll fit with Hufanga. Plan A will likely be the same as last year, and we know that works for Jones. If, for some reason, Hufanga isn’t comfortable playing away from the line of scrimmage that often, Jones could be forced to play deep more frequently. Now, maybe that reveals some limitations in his game, but that’s all speculation, as none of those hypothetical shortcomings were present in his 2024 tape and he performed excellently as the team’s deep safety.
What Should the Denver Broncos Do?
Experiment with Hufanga playing deep early and often throughout the early stages of the offseason and into training camp.
Again, ideally, Hufanga will be just as comfortable with those demands as Jones, and the best way to get him to that point is to familiarize him with the responsibility. Also, if he’s not able to fulfill that vision, the Broncos should find out sooner rather than later.
P.J. Locke
How Did 2024 Go For Them?
This past season was more disappointing for P.J. Locke than any other player on the Denver Broncos.
In a season where almost everyone else got to enjoy the team’s resurgence and a playoff chase, Locke was left fighting a losing battle for his job security and long-term career outlook.
Over the first five years of his career, he worked primarily as a practice squad player, special teamer, and backup safety, slowly climbing the ranks as he worked to get a bigger opportunity. In 2024, he finally got his chance to start.
Unfortunately, instead of thriving like he had in past reserve stints, Locke melted down and was oftentimes the most exploitable element of an otherwise suffocating defensive force.
#Broncos linebackers (and PJ Locke) second half of the season pic.twitter.com/hpZ3qsFtea
— Nick Kendell 🏔 (@NickKendellMHH) January 12, 2025
When targeted in coverage, Locke allowed a passer rating of 132.7, seventh-worst among 64 qualifying safeties. For reference, Lamar Jackson fell one completion shy of setting the NFL record for passer rating this past season, posting a 119.6.
Locke also posted a missed-tackle rate of 22.9% when defending the run, which was the second-worst rate among qualifying safeties.
His poor play resulted in the Broncos’ signing of Talanoa Hufanga, and now the longtime Denver safety is the highest-paid backup safety, which doesn’t bode well for his job security, especially when considering the money the front office could save by releasing him. For now, though, he’s still on the team.
Grade: D
What Needs To Be Addressed This Offseason?
What do the Broncos do about P.J. Locke’s contract?
Waiving Locke would free up $4.2 million in 2025 cap space, which could meaningfully impact the roster, as we discussed with the hypothetical release of Alex Singleton. It’s one of just three moves the Broncos could make that would create less than $5 million in dead cap and a net savings of at least $4 million.
The other moves that fit that definition are cutting Singleton, which they will also likely do, and releasing Nik Bonitto, which they obviously won’t even consider.
Not only would they create some sizeable savings by torching Locke’s contract, but they could also avoid opening up an unnecessary roster hole by re-signing Locke to a deal that solidifies him as the team’s No. 3 safety and a main special-teams contributor.
Locke thrived in that role during his first few seasons in the league, and when he was promoted to a starting gig last year, the depth at the position suffered tremendously. It would be ideal to remedy that by slotting him back into that stack as the team’s third safety, but they’ll probably need him to come back at a cheaper rate to make that work.
What Should the Denver Broncos Do?
The Denver Broncos should talk with P.J. Locke’s agent to see if they can re-work his deal, but if he’s not willing to negotiate with them, the front office shouldn’t be afraid to play hardball.
With plenty of passable depth options on the veteran market and the draft still to come, the Broncos have the leverage to let Locke look for a better deal in free agency and come back if he’s unsatisfied with the other options out there.
Ultimately though, it shouldn’t come to that, as a re-negotiation of his current deal is probably the outcome that makes Locke the most money in 2025 and beyond.
J.L. Skinner
How Did 2024 Go For Them?
J.L. Skinner finally started to see the field in 2024, the second year of his NFL career.
Entering the league with more expectations than the average sixth-round rookie, Skinner struggled to make an impact his first season, but he became a key cog in Denver’s special teams machine this past year. With P.J. Locke promoted to the starting lineup, someone had to fill his void as one of the Broncos’ best special teamers, and Skinner was more than happy to scoop up that baton and sprint with it.
🗣️ "HERE WE GO!"
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 16, 2024
How @koacolorado's Dave Logan saw @marvindmims' 61-yard punt return:#ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/8p4tPVKatr
Despite missing three games, Skinner still finished the campaign with the second-most snaps of any Broncos player on special teams, and he also finished second on the team in special teams tackles, with six.
The biggest disappointment with Skinner’s season is that Devon Key out-flanked him for valuable defensive snaps, despite the team having more invested in the Boise St. product.
Skinner was widely expected to go in the 2023 NFL Draft’s first 100 picks, but he tumbled as a result of a torn pectoral muscle he suffered during pre-draft training. Now that he’s an extra year removed from that injury, one would hope he would’ve been able to earn those reps over Key, and the fact he didn’t, especially considering how Key played, is concerning.
That said, with P.J. Locke being demoted to the team’s No. 3 safety spot, Key, Skinner, and the room’s other safeties will be competing for that fourth spot, where one’s prowess on special teams figures to be extra important, with that being the fourth safety’s primary avenue to playing time.
In that department, Skinner should still have the leg up on Key.
Grade: C+
What Needs To Be Addressed This Offseason?
Now that he has his legs back under him, can J.L. Skinner grow beyond his primarily special-teams role?
At this point, Skinner has proven to be a useful NFL player who deserves a roster spot for what he brings to the team’s third phase. That’s meaningful in a league where the average player’s career lasts less than four seasons.
Nonetheless, for him to live up to the hype the fanbase has given him, he has to develop into a more important role on defense, too. Beyond the fanbase’s expectations for him, Skinner’s development also has major implications for the Denver Broncos, who would probably like to move on from Devon Key but they first need a better option to present itself.
One would think that Skinner will be the first place they look to for that upgrade.
What Should the Denver Broncos Do?
When considering the team’s investment in him along with his projected upside and natural football gifts, it seems clear-cut that Denver should give him every chance to be the No. 4 safety in the team’s rotation.
It’s more or less the same slot he had last season, so they shouldn’t have to worry too much about a ‘Peter Principle’ problem, and selecting Skinner would allow the team to continue developing his safety skills while still taking advantage of his punt and kick-coverage talent.
Plus, zooming out even further, it should be noted that both Skinner and Brandon Jones have their contracts expire at the end of the 2026 season. If Denver can develop him to the point that he’s able to fully realize his potential and become a starting safety, they have a natural off-ramp built in that should help them get cheaper at the position while retaining homegrown players.
Devon Key
How Did 2024 Go For Them?
This past season, no player on the Denver Broncos defense elicited more rage per snap from the fanbase than Devon Key.
Despite playing just 251 defensive snaps this season, Key quickly emerged as the chief target of the fanbase’s ire after the team’s blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens, where the defense was bullied to the tune of 41 points.
Piss poor effort from Devon Key pic.twitter.com/AiwLbAhWEK
— Broncos Buzz (@BroncosBuzz303) November 3, 2024
Key played a majority of the team’s snaps at safety in three of the team’s eighteen games, and in each of those appearances, he was a glaring weak point in the secondary. That’s why adding safety depth was one of the Broncos’ most pressing concerns this offseason.
That said, Key remains within a stone’s throw of a roster spot. He was ahead of J.L. Skinner, Keidron Smith, and Tanner McCalister on the defensive depth chart last season, so he’s obviously capable of beating them in a position battle. The only new faces are Delarrin Turner-Yell, who’s returning from injury, and Sam Franklin, who they signed for next to nothing after he had an injury-plagued 2024 season.
That’s stiffer competition than Key saw a season ago, but it certainly doesn’t present too daunting a challenge.
He also had a successful 2024, considering his prior status — a three-year practice-squad player who had yet to play a snap of regular-season football. Broncos Country was understandably annoyed with him and his play last season, but having to rely on him as the team’s No. 3 safety is more the fault of management than the fault of Key.
Grade: B-
What Needs To Be Addressed This Offseason?
Is there any low-cost way to upgrade on Devon Key right now?
It’s no secret that Key was a major problem on the Broncos’ defense in 2024, but they still don’t currently have a clear replacement for him on the roster. Plus, with Talanoa Hufanga now becoming one of the team’s starting safeties, the Broncos are only more likely to have to depend on their reserves at the position.
That said, so long as P.J. Locke is on the roster, Key should be slotted in as the team’s fourth safety, instead of their third, which should negate some of his negative impact.
Nonetheless, Key isn’t a developmental option that gets anyone excited, and he’s a problem in the present.
What Should the Denver Broncos Do?
If the Broncos see a sixth-round dice roll at safety who they like, they should take the swing.
Key’s a problem, and even though his presence should shrink this upcoming season, there’s no reason not to seek out an upgrade, outside of Denver’s limited draft capital. But, considering that both Hufanga and Jones could be moved after this season, investing in the future of the position is more pressing than it appears at first glance.
Sam Franklin
How Did 2024 Go For Them?
2024 was a hard year for Sam Franklin that saw him fall out of favor with the team he’s spent his entire career with up until this point.
A safety-linebacker tweener, Franklin struggled to find a role on defense but quickly blossomed as a special teams player and even earned the honor of being one of the team’s special teams captains. Over the last three seasons, he has played no fewer than 71% of the special teams snaps he’s been healthy for, which made him an integral part of Carolina’s third phase.
Unfortunately, a broken foot sidelined him for the first seven games of 2024, and when he came back, he wasn’t same presence he had been in prior years. Then the Carolina Panthers opted to let him walk in free agency.
Not being wanted by the Panthers is a damning blow, but Franklin appears to have landed on his feet with the Denver Broncos — a team in need of safety depth, linebacker depth, and special teams help, which provides Franklin several avenues to try and make the roster. That said, his one-year deal worth ‘up to’ $1.5 million provides him no roster security, so he’ll have to earn his spot by outcompeting Delarrin Turner-Yell and maybe even J.L. Skinner and/or P.J. Locke too.
Grade: D-
What Needs To Be Addressed This Offseason?
Can Sam Franklin be an upgrade on what the Denver Broncos already have on special teams?
The Broncos are loaded with special teams options at safety, with six different players competing for different jobs, and Franklin being the newest of those six faces. For him to make the roster and prolong his NFL career, Franklin is going to have to prove he is no worse than one of the three best choices for the role, as Denver likely won’t keep more than five safeties and will probably only roster four.
Now, at Franklin’s best, there’s little doubt that he’s one of the better special teams options available, but whether or not he can still be that player after his foot injury has yet to be seen. Getting an offseason of rehabilitation should help, but there’s a reason his new contract maxes out at a value just 58.3% of the one he signed last offseason.
What Should the Denver Broncos Do?
The Denver Broncos should let training camp decide their answer for them.
With so many possible solutions in the safety group, there’s no need to rush into a decision now. Plus, that surplus of punt and kick coverage players means Denver should have the privilege of valuing the players’ respective capabilities to contribute on defense.
SAM FRANKLIN 99 YARD PICK-6 ON KIRK COUSINS 🤯
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) October 1, 2023
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/ReKemZAC59
Franklin’s relative experience there could be the difference. With 782 career NFL snaps on defense, Franklin has played 266 more non-special-teams snaps than Devon Key (251), Delarrin Turner-Yell (210), J.L. Skinner (20), Tanner McCalister (19), and Keidron Smith (16) combined.
Keidron Smith
How Did 2024 Go For Them?
Keidron Smith was the star of the preseason for the Denver Broncos in 2024.
During the exhibition period, the second-year UDFA led the Broncos in tackles and passes broken up while also plucking two interceptions out of the air, forcing a fumble, and recovering another.
Jonah Elliss with the pressure, Keidron Smith with the INT. 😤
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 11, 2024
📺: NFLN pic.twitter.com/FNhQ3mJ0DQ
That’s a jaw-dropping impact to have when playing a handful of quarters over three games, and it understandably won him a spot on Denver’s practice squad. Smith stayed in Dove Valley the entire season, but he was on and off the practice squad, as he appeared in nine games, almost exclusively on special teams, after being promoted to the active roster.
Smith played well in his limited opportunity and could be in line for an expanded special teams role this season, but there are a lot of obstacles standing in his way.
Although safety depth is a problem for the Broncos, it’s only a problem in a specific way — outside Locke, there is no one in the safety room that Denver should trust to fulfill the safety obligations on defense. They have several options who can help them on special teams, though.
J.L. Skinner was the go-to choice there last year and shined. P.J. Locke earned his starting opportunity in 2024 thanks, in part, to his amazing special-teams contributions during his first several years in the league. Delarrin Turner-Yell was the room’s designated special-teams ace behind Locke, and simply wasn’t available last year, but now should be fully healthy for 2025. Sam Franklin was just signed, seemingly to play a major role on special teams. Devon Key is also still a factor.
Smith could see his role expand, or he could see it gobbled up entirely and be banished from the practice squad.
Even though his current outlook is concerning, Smith put out some great tape in the 2024 preseason, and that should help him catch on somewhere.
Grade: C+
What Needs To Be Addressed This Offseason?
Is Keidron Smith more than just a preseason darling?
Although the Broncos’ top-three safeties are each well-suited for their level of responsibility, the two best members of the room have injury concerns, making depth at the position an important consideration. That mindset is only emboldened after seeing how devastating Devon Key’s playing time was to an otherwise excellent defense.
Smith’s highly impactful 2024 preseason could fuel optimism in some that he’s the remedy to Denver’s problems, but it shouldn’t be overlooked that the Broncos’ staff had both Key and Smith on the roster just last season and they clearly preferred Key.
If Smith can surpass him and the other contenders for reserve snaps at safety, he could complete Denver’s safety room. If not, he will likely be elsewhere by the end of the preseason.
What Should the Denver Broncos Do?
The Denver Broncos shouldn’t bet on any unproven second-year UDFA to solve their woes at any position on the roster.
That said, the concerns with safety depth are undeniable.
They’d be wise to draft a developmental option who could provide insurance behind some injury-prone starters while training to eventually take over one of the starting spots.
Delarrin Turner-Yell
How Did 2024 Go For Them?
After this past season, Delarrin Turner-Yell’s NFL career is on life support.
Although he was a semi-disappointing Day 3 pick through the first two seasons of his career, it appeared he was carving out a meaningful role on special teams and as a reserve safety. Although P.J. was the clear No. 3 option in 2023, Turner-Yell was the No. 4, and saw 212 defensive snaps as a result.
Unfortunately, after tearing his ACL, MCL, and meniscus in the 2023 season’s penultimate game, he spent all of 2024 on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.
Making matters worse, he was designated to return in late-October, but after three weeks, when it came time to decide whether to add him to the active roster or end his season, the Broncos opted to shut him down. Obviously, we don’t know the diagnosis Denver’s doctor’s provided, but Vance Joseph’s defense was desperate for safety help after leaning on Devon Key, and yet they still chose to end Turner-Yell’s season before he could even play a snap.
That’s concerning for his long-term outlook with the team.
Despite all that, if he’s healthy in 2025 and hasn’t been markedly changed by his injury, he could still reclaim his old role. The odds of that optimistic outcome just don’t feel good right now, especially with how much competition is standing in his way.
Grade: D-
What Needs To Be Addressed This Offseason?
How healthy is Delarrin Turner-Yell?
The player we last saw in 2023 is no worse than the fifth-best safety on Denver’s roster, and he’d be in serious competition with Skinner for the title of fourth-best. That’s good enough to at least be rosterable and prevent a costly investment at the position in the draft.
Unfortunately, we haven’t seen him play football in well over 12 months, and his injury was devastating enough that it’s fair to worry about his NFL future.
Turner-Yell’s health and recovery will almost entirely dictate his outlook.
What Should the Denver Broncos Do?
With P.J. Locke, J.L. Skinner, and now Sam Franklin on the roster and Keidron Smith and Tanner McCalister serving as intriguing depth options, there’s no need to make a serious addition at the position to replace Turner-Yell’s special-teams role.
Nonetheless, Denver has to upgrade on Devon Key, and Turner-Yell being unavailable removes one potential off-ramp from the equation. With that in mind, the Broncos need to look at Smith and McCalister and determine whether or not they have the potential to improve on Key’s 2024 play.
If not, some sort of low-end signing or late-round pick at the position might be necessary.
Tanner McCalister
How Did 2024 Go For Them?
Tanner McCalister was practically invisible last season, appearing on just 54 snaps, all of which came on special teams, while playing in just three games.
He was a serviceable special-teams presence and played in every facet of special teams other than the field goal unit, which is typical for even the best defensive back special-teamers.
Although unexciting at first glance, his snap count also represented a career-high for the second-year safety, as he played just 37 snaps for the Cleveland Browns last year.
It was an unremarkable season almost any way you look at it, but for a roster bubble player just trying to hang on to a minor role or a spot on the practice squad, any uptick in usage is a positive.
Grade: C+
What Needs To Be Addressed This Offseason?
Can he help replace some of the special teams void left by Tremon Smith?
Smith was one of the Denver Broncos’ best special teams players a year ago, and his departure figures to hurt the unit, even with Denver bringing in Trent Sherfield Sr. to try and replicate his presence.
Through his first two years in the league, McCalister has been used almost exclusively on special teams and has been a respectable option. If he can help stabilize Denver’s special teams in the wake of all its notable depatures, he could earn a roster spot.
Unfortunately, he has to contend with six other safeties who have a similar vision.
What Should the Denver Broncos Do?
It doesn’t cost the Broncos anything to give McCalister a shot on special teams, so it would be smart to at least humor that idea during OTAs and training camp.
Nonetheless, McCalister is a UDFA who has spent the overwhelming majority of his career on practice squads and the rest on special teams. He shouldn’t limit the team’s decision-making at all. They should only hope he provides a quality backup plan for an impactful role in the game’s third phase.
