The Overlooked Fallout of the Broncos Signing Tycen Anderson

The Denver Broncos signed their first outside free agent in former Cincinnati Bengals safety and special teams player Tycen Anderson. After losing P.J. Locke in free agency, it makes sense that Denver would get a potential replacement.

So, how does Anderson really fit in with Denver after signing a one-year deal?

Anderson's Fit in Denver

Anderson is a depth safety, and this is good news for Brandon Jones, who is now likely to return as the starter next year. Anderson adds competition with Devon Key and Jones for the backup spots, and on special teams.

Denver likes to keep five safeties on the 53-man roster, so all three are, at this point, safe, but any more additions could put them in jeopardy. All three are capable special teams players who can play multiple third-phase spots, so it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out on the defensive side of the ball.

Key is probably the main backup to Jones and works as the third safety, with JL Skinner behind Talanoa Hufanga and Anderson filling out the final spot. However, Anderson can do multiple things on defense, which could create a change when training camp comes around.

Defensively, Anderson has played only 65 snaps since entering the NFL, all of which came in the last two years, with only one in 2024. In his 64 snaps in 2025, he did alright and played in multiple alignments for the terrible Bengals defense.

Special teams, however, that is where Anderson brings value and why Denver looked his way. Locke was good on special teams and one of the team's main third-phase players. The Broncos needed to replace him with Key, who is looking to step up defensively in Locke's stead.

Special Teams Value

Sep 14, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals safety Tycen Anderson (26) acknowledges the crowd after a play during the second half in the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Anderson has played 850 special teams snaps over the last three years and was one of the Bengals' best players in that area. He has the versatility to play multiple special teams roles, such as gunner and personal protector.

In his three NFL seasons, Anderson has added 26 special teams tackles, assisted on 10, but missed six and got penalized five times. That will need to be cleaned up, but he missed only three tackles in 2025 and got penalized once.

Locke played only 205 special teams snaps last year, with Anderson playing 385. Skinner played 340, and Key played 434 special teams snaps, which is an enormous amount of snaps, and a big part of why he earned second-team All-Pro honors.

Anderson can replace Locke, and potentially cut into Key’s snaps, if Key ends up as the third safety and Denver looks to play him less on special teams as a result. The Broncos' history would suggest that this is the case, as they have done it before: cutting down on special-teams safety snaps as they earn a bigger role on defense.

The Takeaway

Anderson is quietly a great signing for Denver. The move gives the Broncos a good special-teams player to replace Key, as he seems poised for a bigger defensive role.

Now, this is all on paper, and Anderson may not gel with the Broncos' special teams concepts and schemes. Only time will tell through OTAs, mini-camp, and training camp.

The Broncos made a similar move last year with Sam Franklin, only he didn’t make the final cut. Even wide receiver Trent Sherfield, who was signed primarily for special teams, didn't quite fit the scheme and was cut in-season.

Anderson is a better special-teams player than Franklin was, but will that translate to Denver? We're about to find out.

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