The Broncos and general manager George Paton continue to check off a flurry of in-house extensions after last week’s bye.
Denver has agreed to a three-year extension with reserve defensive lineman Malcolm Roach, sources confirmed to The Denver Post on Wednesday. The extension has a base value of $24 million with $14 million guaranteed, and is worth up to $29.25 million in incentives, a source confirmed.
After signing with the Broncos in 2024, Roach has become a key rotational piece on a dominant Denver defensive line and a heartbeat of the locker room. He played in all 17 games in his first season with the Broncos, racking up 43 tackles and eight quarterback hits.
Roach missed the first five games of the 2025 season after suffering a Grade 2 calf strain. In six games since, he’s racked up 21 tackles and two sacks.
“To have him back in the lineup, there’s so much you get with him,” head coach Sean Payton said in October. “And so often times, I’ve spent so much time talking about his juice … he rarely has bad days. And he brings, it’s just, infectious personality.
“And then on the field, obviously, he plays extremely hard. He’s got good football IQ and instincts, so he can anticipate things prior to them happening.”
General manager Paton and the Broncos moved quickly with Roach, as extension talks intensified Tuesday, a source told The Post. Payton told reporters on Monday that Denver had initiated conversations with a number of players in contract years, and Roach is the latest in a string of deals: the Broncos agreed to a three-year extension with kicker Wil Lutz last week, and re-upped with center Luke Wattenberg for four years and $48 million on Tuesday night.
Roach’s deal also continues a string of defensive-line extensions for the Broncos, dating back to outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper’s extension in November 2024. Denver re-signed nose tackle D.J. Jones to a three-year deal before the start of free agency, and agreed to long-term extensions with stars Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto before the start of the 2025 season.
The 27-year-old Roach has been a Payton favorite since carving out a role with the New Orleans Saints in 2020 as an undrafted free-agent rookie, and dubbed himself the “Sixth Man of the Year” in Denver, rotating behind starting defensive tackle Jones.
Multiple members of Denver’s defensive front noted that Roach’s sheer sideline presence was a contributor in a massive comeback win over the New York Giants in Week 7.
“I love it here,” Roach said during camp, asked about extensions for the defensive line. “I’m telling you, I love the Denver Broncos. I love the city, I love the state, I just love being here. But, I mean, I also know it’s a business we play, so.
“But for this year, I’m number 97 for the Denver Broncos, and I’m here. And that’s for the front office people to take care of. And if they do, I mean, I’ll be happy. If they don’t, I’ll still be happy.”
He can stay happy in Denver, now, locked up through the 2027 season.
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