Broncos OLB Dondrea Tillman Reveals Key To Making Big INT Return

Dondrea Tillman has made some huge plays for the Denver Broncos this season. He broke down his big interception vs. the Las Vegas Raiders.

Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Dondrea Tillman (92) runs with the ball after an interception against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Don't look now, but a backup outside linebacker leads the Denver Broncos in interceptions. That man would be Dondrea Tillman, who has two interceptions this season, the latest of which came in sensational fashion on Thursday night against the Las Vegas Raiders.

In the Broncos' 10-7 victory over the Raiders, Tillman dropped back into coverage, instead of rushing the quarterback, and capitalized on Ashton Jeanty bobbling a Geno Smith pass, tipping it up into the air. Tillman came down with it, and just like his first interception of the season, proceeded to rumble downfield for serious yardage.

Tillman broke down the huge play post-game, giving special credit to linebacker Alex Singleton's blocking. Take special note of Singleton's huge block.

“Yeah, when I caught the ball, honestly, seeing people to my right, so I looked left, and then I saw [ILB] Alex [Singleton] and he was pointing that way," Tillman said. "So I just ran over there. He got a good block, and then, I just tried to make a play.”

Dondrea Tillman gets an INT for the @Broncos!

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— NFL (@NFL) November 7, 2025

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A Tight End Background

October 26, 2025: Denver Broncos linebacker Dondrea Tillman (92) breaks the tackle of Dallas Cowboys running back Hunter Luepke (40) after he intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter of the football game between the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys. | Denver Broncos linebacker Dondrea Tillman (92) breaks a tackle after picking off a Dak Prescott pass.

Tillman played tight end in high school, and it shows in his hands and how well he can move with the ball in his hands. Considering how bad the Broncos' offense has been this season, and the relative lack of production at tight end, many fans are clamoring for Tillman to be given a shot on offense.

We know that's unlikely to happen. But the Broncos have quite a gem in Tillman.

Originally joining the Broncos as an undrafted rookie last season, the former USFL product went on to turn in five sacks in Year 1. This season, Tillman has 1.5 sacks and 23 tackles (seven solo), to go along with his two interceptions and three pass break-ups.

On his two interceptions, Tillman has 59 total return yards, which illustrates why Broncos Country is intrigued about his potential upside as an offensive contributor. For the foreseeable, though, he'll remain a core cog in the Broncos' outside linebacker rotation behind Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper.

Dondrea Tillman picks off Dak and takes it all the way to midfield!

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— NFL (@NFL) October 26, 2025

Defense in Fine Form

The Broncos have one of the best defenses in the NFL and are coming off another terrific performance vs. the Raiders. Denver sacked Smith six times, and picked him off, holding the Raiders to just seven points.

“The defense is relentless," Tillman said. "Every day we come out to work, we come out competing, and we know the sky’s the limit for us. As long as we do our exact things, we’re unstoppable.”

The players attribute their defensive success this season to the coaching staff, especially coordinator Vance Joseph, who has parlayed his way into the head-coach conversation once again when the January hiring cycle rolls around.

“Yeah, it’s a credit to ‘VJ’ and all the other coaches," Bonitto said on Thursday night. "They instilled that type of mentality where it doesn’t matter where they get the ball at, we are going to try to get stops wherever we can. So that’s what we did tonight.”

Next up, the Broncos will host Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High. It will be the defense's biggest test of the year, Week 8's dominance over the Dallas Cowboys' top-ranked offense notwithstanding.