The Denver Broncos are just a few weeks from kicking off their 2025 regular season at home against the Tennessee Titans. Between now and then, some players will be sent packing with others making their way to the team’s 16-man practice squad. One player who is a sure-fire bet to make the final 53-man roster is veteran safety Brandon Jones.
Jones had a positive impact with his first season with the Broncos. A versatile piece in the backend of Vance Joseph’s defense, the former Texas Longhorns standout
had a career year in 2024. Over the course of sixteen games, he notched 115 tackles, 3 interceptions, a forced fumble, and fumble recovery. He was a force against both the pass and the run and made significant strides as a tackler—halving his historical missed tackle rate.
Entering his sixth year in the National Football League, the veteran safety offered high praise for Denver’s group of defensive backs.
“I’ve never been a part of a secondary this deep. Especially the biggest thing I’ve noticed is when the ones are down, the twos go in, the threes go in, rarely is there ever any drop off. I think that’s super unique, super rare, especially in the league. It’s going to be tough for the roster cuts that are coming up,” Jones remarked in front of the media yesterday.
Over the years, Broncos Country has witnessed several quality secondaries—most notably the No-Fly Zone—who played an integral role in the franchise winning Super Bowl 50. It will be tough to match their prowess and success, but fans have a reason to be optimistic about the potential this year’s secondary. From top to bottom, the Broncos’ backend is loaded with quality players.
You would be hard pressed to find a secondary elsewhere in the NFL that has as much talent and potential. As Jones pointed out, there are going to be some tough decisions ahead. In fact, it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see those who don’t make Denver’s talented secondary this year sign to active rosters elsewhere.
In order for the defense to reach their goals, Jones has been working becoming a more vocal leader. Communication on the backend of the defense means everything. While his play on the field speaks for itself, the battle-tested pro hopes he can help others hit their stride by exchanging as much information as possible to help build trust and unity.
“I’m a big believer in talking things out. I’m always talking as much as possible just to put my own mind at ease and put other guys’ minds at ease. So that’s mainly the thing that I focus on, and just telling everybody, meet me at the ball,” he added.
This year, Jones has a new teammate beside him in Talanoa Hufanga. That has added to the challenge relative to communication. One of this year’s big free agent signings, Hufanga unseated Jones’ former collegiate teammate P.J. Locke at the other starting safety spot. Over the spring and summer, the two have worked diligently as they aim to be one of the best safety duos in the league.
“It’s been really good, really positive. We’ve definitely been able to play off each other—overcommunicating. I think for the most part, we are always on the same page. We love the pre-snap communication, just talking about what happens if somebody moves, what’s our next play that we’re going to go to? It’s been really good.”
