5 Free-Agent DL Broncos Could Target to Replace John Franklin-Myers

The Broncos need a better plan for life without John Franklin-Myers.

August 18, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

With free agency opening on March 9 with the NFL's 'legal tampering' window, the Denver Broncos seem poised to lose John Franklin-Myers in free agency. The Broncos seem to have a lot of faith in Eyioma Uwazurike and last year's third-round pick, Sai’vion Jones, to replace Franklin-Myers, but the former is a bigger defensive tackle, and the latter barely saw the field in 2025.

Replacing Franklin-Myers would be a big-time play increase for Jones and a different role for Uwazurike. Of course, part of the evaluation with Jones is what he was doing in practice, and whether he looked ready for a significant increase in snaps. Franklin-Myers played 517 snaps last year.

Uwazurike played 409, while Jones played 33, and most of those came with Franklin-Myers out with an injury. Either way, that's a lot of snaps to be on Jones to replace. 

Denver could hedge its bets by bringing in another free-agent defensive lineman to compete, or even be in line to start, while changing up their rotation to get Jones on the field more in his second season. This isn’t a great defensive line class in free agency, but there are some solid options. 

Dec 27, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) is hit by. Houston Texans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (90) after the pass during the second half at SoFi Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Rankins is the top option, and Sean Payton is familiar with him and has reportedly pushed to get him in Denver previously. If Denver were to land Rankins, it’d likely be with him as the starter opposite Zach Allen, meaning Uwazurike and Jones would be relegated to their depth roles. 

That means Denver would have to find a way to have six interior defensive linemen active, after rolling with only five for the majority of last season. It isn’t overly complicated to do so, but it would change some of the Broncos' roster math during cut-downs, and they seem too set in their ways to make that kind of change. 

Dec 21, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman David Onyemata (90) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Another player Payton is familiar with, who has been linked to Denver in previous years, is Onyemata. Onyemata has been with the Atlanta Falcons for the past three seasons and had eight sacks over that span. With where he is in his career, he could be that sixth defensive lineman as veteran insurance for Jones and Uwazurike. 

Denver needs to boost its depth and upgrade over Jordan Jackson, which is why Onyemata makes sense. He wouldn’t keep the Broncos from drafting an interior defensive lineman, and would give them options for how they build out their unit's depth. 

Oct 19, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day (69) walks off the field against the New England Patriots during pre-game warmups at Nissan Stadium. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Playing on the Titans' line, Joseph-Day has flown well under the radar, despite being integral to their run defense. He had a couple of great seasons as a pass rusher, but his run defense is where his value is currently. 

If Denver believes in Jones as a pass rusher, which is how he projects, with issues as a run defender, then it would make even more sense to target a run defender like Joseph-Day. Uwazurike is a factor as a solid run defender, but his size could lead to issues working farther outside. 

Sep 14, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Shelby Harris (93) during the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

The former Bronco is very much on his last legs, but a return to Denver could be an option. As a veteran depth piece on the unit, Harris could provide depth and elevate those around him as a mentor to some of the younger players. 

Denver is where Harris really got a shot in the NFL. The Broncos put him in a position to be a great player on the unit and gave him the trust to develop. He worked hard, and if this is the last year of his career, a return to where his career took off could be a nice send-off for Harris. 

Nov 23, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) is stripped of the ball by. New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

This is a projection, as Jordan is more of an edge rusher than an interior defender, but he has done a lot of work as a 4i/5-technique throughout his career. Add in his connection to Payton, and he would make a lot of sense. Also, regarding the projection inside, Jordan plays at around 290 pounds, so he isn’t undersized for this type of role, which he has done before. 

The biggest issue would come down to cost, as Jordan may want a big deal for multiple years, and Denver didn’t purportedly even speak with Franklin-Myers about a contract. That suggests the Broncos want to get younger and cheaper on the defensive line, but they could decide to go all-in on 2026, which could include a veteran defensive leader like Jordan.

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