Denver’s Employee No. 97, as Malcolm Roach likes to call himself, has no current plans to march into his bosses’ office and demand a raise. Even as much as he might want one.
He knows, better than most, that this is a cold business. He went undrafted in 2020 out of Texas, somehow played himself into a roster spot in a season without any preseason games — and was left “so upset” when New Orleans opted not to re-sign him in 2024.
A year later, he’s the self-dubbed “Sixth Man of the Year” for a dominant Broncos defensive line. But he could find himself in the same position five months from now. There are many mouths to feed in his position room — all chomping for extensions.
D.J. Jones got his last March. Zach Allen‘s came in August. Now, Roach needs one. And so does John Franklin-Myers.
They all have come to an implicit understanding, though: They will get paid, if they keep the standard the same as last fall. Maybe in Denver. Maybe somewhere else. The where isn’t important right now.
“We don’t really think about it that much,” Roach said at the start of August. “At the end goal, we think about stopping this run and getting to the quarterback.
“And we do that at a high level — we all have a lot of money.”
It’s largely impossible for this Broncos interior defensive line to make another massive jump after a season collapsing pockets and leading the NFL in sacks last season.
Allen had a career year in 2024, making second-team All-Pro and joining J.J. Watt, T.J. Watt, Nick Bosa and Aaron Donald as the only players to record 40 quarterback hits in a year since 2006. Jones played well enough at nose tackle to earn himself a hearty three-year extension. Roach continued to do “Sixth Man” things. And after coming over in a trade with the Jets, Franklin-Myers was “the last piece of the puzzle,” as Jones said during camp.
The question, now, is how the Broncos preserve their dominance in years to come. Not a day after Roach’s “lot of money” comments, Denver shelled out $102 million over four years to extend Allen. The payday recognized Allen as one of the best interior defensive pieces in the league. It also might have constricted the pot for everyone else.
Come 2026, Allen’s cap number will balloon to $28.6 million, the highest figure on the Broncos’ current roster. Denver is also working toward an extension with edge rusher Nik Bonitto that could extend to the range of $25 million to $30 million a year. And franchise quarterback Bo Nix will become extension-eligible before the 2027 season.
Roach and Franklin-Myers, for the moment, may find themselves on the outside looking in.
“I was in that position in Arizona where it’s like, you know what, you’re going to get it one way or another, and at the end of the day it’s just about performing,” Allen said when asked about Franklin-Myers and Roach waiting for deals. “They’re awesome people, awesome guys, and I’m just really blessed to play with them. I root for the best for them.”
Roach, for one, has largely shrugged off the money: He’ll be happy, he told reporters during camp, whether the Broncos re-sign him or not. Franklin-Myers, though, has been vocal on social media all offseason about his desire for a new deal, despite not creating much actual fuss at camp.
“Under appreciated & Underpaid, but numbers won’t lie!” Franklin-Myers tweeted in late July, quoting a tweet of his stats. “I’d bet my money too if I were you!”
To Franklin-Myers’ point, the veteran has racked up 50-plus pressures for five straight NFL seasons, according to Pro Football Focus’s metrics. But Bonitto is higher on Denver’s list of extension priorities. After the Patriots gave $26 million a year to former Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams, Franklin-Myers could reasonably ask for upwards of $20 million a year. The Broncos, especially after taking rookie Sai’vion Jones in the third round in April, may not be willing to spend that capital.
But they may need him, too, to stay at their current bar. After Franklin-Myers left the Jets last season, New York’s Quinnen Williams dropped from 70 pressures in 2023 to 54 in 2024. After Franklin-Myers arrived in Denver, Allen jumped from 60 pressures in 2023 to 81 in 2024.
“He’s very important for us because of who Zach is, right … to have two inside rushers does balance out things for us,” Joseph said of Franklin-Myers. “So, someone’s getting a one-on-one. It’s just math, right?
“If he gets it, he wins it. If Zach gets it, he wins. So, for offenses, it’s got to be a choice each week: Who gets the double-team, who gets a single?”
Franklin-Myers, then, is a natural ceiling-raiser. So is Roach, as a ready-made rotational substitute for Jones and others.
But the Broncos, soon, will be forced to weigh the height of that ceiling against several tens of millions.
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