Jonathon Cooper's Situation Opens Door for a Broncos 'Future Starter'

With Jonathon Cooper’s increasing legal troubles, there’s a very good chance the NFL will step in with discipline, which could start with a six-game suspension. And that’s if the Broncos don’t take any steps with Cooper themselves.

That means the Broncos need to start thinking about the possibility of life without Cooper, even if it’s only a few games in 2026. It just so happens that if the NFL suspends Cooper six games for violating the Personal Conduct Policy, it will correspond with Denver’s extremely tough initial schedule.

The good news is, the Broncos aren’t short on outside linebacker options. Von Miller and his public campaign to return to Denver aside, Jonah Elliss and Que Robinson stand to benefit most from Cooper’s off-the-field trouble.

Elliss was a 2024 third-round pick. He’s played a lot over the past two seasons.

Robinson was a fourth-rounder last year, but he was buried behind the All-Pro Nik Bonitto, Cooper, Elliss, and Dondrea Tillman. Robinson garnered just 150 defensive snaps as a rookie and was often a healthy scratch, but that could be changing, especially based on what defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said on Thursday.

“Again, after the season, when you go back and watch the cutups, Que played really well when he got opportunities,” Joseph said. “He looked like a guy who can be a future starter for us.”

In Line For a Bigger Role

When Robinson was on the field last year, he more than held his own. He only totaled a half-sack, with 12 tackles, including three for a loss, and he broke up a pass.

If Cooper ends up being suspended, or even released, at worst, Robinson would be in line for a significant uptick in snape share. Last year, Tillman stayed healthy, and played 417 snaps.

If Elliss were to be bumped into a starting role, Tillman would move into the No. 3 spot, with Robinson as the No. 4. That would result in a 4x snap increase for Robinson.

Third-Phase Value

Denver Broncos rookie outside linebacker Que Robinson performs a drill at rookie minicamp at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. | Gabriel Christus/DenverBroncos.com

In the meantime, the Broncos are focused on continuing to develop Robinson. His time will come. He’s also the type of player who endears himself quickly to coaches because of his willingness to contribute 100% in any facet the team asks of him, including special teams.

Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi is one of those coaches, who helped identify Robinson in the 2025 draft as a four-core special-teamer. Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban said that Robinson is the best special-teams player he ever coached.

“It's our job to keep developing him and keep improving him,” Joseph said of Robinson. “He needs more reps. Last year, he didn't dress for a lot of games—only a handful—but when he did play, he played well for Coach Rizzi and for me. It's a year later now, and he's ready for the next step in terms of playing more defensive snaps and more overall team snaps.”

As the Cooper situation continues to unfold after his second arrest in just a week’s time, Miller’s status will be worth continuing to monitor. However, despite Miller being a franchise icon and a future Hall-of-Famer, he’s not willing to play special teams, which could be a deciding factor on whether he succeeds in his petition to return to the Broncos.

“I think he grew into that as a first-year player," Sean Payton said of Robinson on Thursday. "We were able to see a lot of special teams snaps. He had all the traits, and then it was just projecting what it’s going to look like on the field. He’s doing well.”

The Takeaway

Based on how the Broncos feel about Robinson, though, it’s hard to see them taking Miller up on his offer to return, even if Cooper ends up missing time or worse. It’ll be interesting to see how Robinson continues to develop entering what could be a pivotal Year 2.

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