Why Malcolm Roach is Centrally Important to Broncos' Defense

Patrick Surtain II or Nik Bonitto might be the straw that stirs the Denver Broncos' defensive drink, but there's an equally important component to the cocktail that rarely gets mentioned.

Saturday was an exception.

“He’s got a lot of juice. He’s one of those compound multipliers. A lot of his traits it’s infectious," Broncos head coach Sean Payton said of veteran defensive lineman Malcolm Roach. "I’ve said that about [RB] J.K. [Dobbins], you hear him before you see him. They practice hard. I think all the way back to when he was undrafted out of Texas and we signed him, the improvement at his position for him has been remarkable. He’s always going to be looking at what he can do a little better, how he can play on third down relative to the rush. He’s got really good football I.Q. and I think that it kind of shows up on film even at the defensive tackle position.”

Payton paid similar compliments to Roach before last season. Before Roach, who joined the club in 2024, inked a three-year, $29 million contract extension. Before he went on to have another productive campaign for the Broncos, tallying 41 combined tackles, five quarterback hits, and a career-best 4.0 sacks across 12 appearances.

“My first year here last year, it was just proving it to ourselves," Roach said in January. "This year was knowing what we had, but just wanting to show the world that. Next year, it’s like we know what the standard is, and we know the way we need to work every day. We know what we need to do to be a great defense and a great defensive line. Just knowing that, I think we already got through the first two levels and understanding the standard of coming to work every day and knowing how we need to push guys. Just the chemistry that is building, I think next year will be another special year.”

Every good defense needs its resident dawg; Roach absolutely epitomizes the role. Denver hasn't enjoyed a lineman with his personality since Derek Wolfe was warning opponents not to mess with them, and it doesn't sound as if the party is anywhere close to ending.

Roach Should Remain Crucial Piece

While not technically a starter, Roach's experience and two-way abilities (stopping the run, rushing the passer) will continue to benefit a Broncos defense that's tasked with replacing former stud DL John Franklin-Myers, who departed to Tennessee in free agency.

Roach, 28, is expected to be part of a rotation that includes sophomore DE Sai'vion Jones and third-round rookie Tyler Onyedim, as well as returning talents DJ Jones, Eyioma Uwazurike, and Matt Henningsen.

“I think there are two or three players. Certainly we believe in rotation. It’s easier to evaluate once we start putting pads on," Payton said on July 29 of the positional group.

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