The Broncos are getting exactly the kind of climb they were hoping for from Que Robinson.
Back in June, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said Robinson “looked like a guy that can be a future starter for us.” That came after a rookie year that barely got off the ground, with Robinson appearing in just seven of a possible 19 games, postseason included.
Joseph also said then, “He’s ready for the next step as far as playing more defensive snaps and more team snaps.”
Seven weeks into a larger role this season, that read looks right on the money.
Robinson’s pass-rush win rate of 15.4 percent ranks in the top third among NFL edge rushers, tied for 22nd out of 76 players at the position with at least 100 pass-rush snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. His overall pressure rate sits at 14.6 percent, which puts him 27th among 77 edges.
That production has mattered for a Broncos defense that has had to keep adjusting. Robinson helped cover for the six-game absence of Jonathon Cooper while Cooper was on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, and now the Broncos are without Jonah Elliss, who landed on injured reserve after an ankle injury against the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 15.
“I feel like we would definitely say we’ve seen this arrow up with his play and confidence,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said.
“… I’m really encouraged with the snap counts and then the production you see when he’s playing. I think all of what you’re seeing is what we’re seeing.”
The numbers back that up. Robinson has three sacks in his last eight games dating to the AFC Championship Game in January, giving Denver another useful rotational edge rusher and a reason to keep leaning into what the 2025 fourth-round pick can become.
In Other News...
Vance Joseph Is Forcing A Big Broncos Question Again
Vance Joseph has done enough in his second act in Denver to make people around the league look at him differently than they did a few years ago. After a rough two-year run as the Broncos head coach ended with an 11-21 record, he rebuilt his stock as Arizonas defensive coordinator and then came back under Sean Payton, where Denvers defense has been among the NFLs most reliable units in the past two seasons.
The Broncos have finished near the top of the league in points allowed again, with Josephs group also standing out in rushing defense and total yards allowed. That kind of production inevitably brings back the old question: whether Joseph is once again positioning himself for another shot at running a team, especially after he drew interest around the coaching carousel last offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Payton Just Framed What Broncos Fans Should Expect On Offense
Sean Payton spent the week sketching out what the Broncos want their offense to look like, and it does not appear to revolve around turning Bo Nix into a bigger part of the run game. The head coach made clear that, for now, getting more quarterback carries is not among the immediate items on his list, which offers a pretty good window into how Denver is thinking about balance and durability as it shapes the attack.
There was a more encouraging note for one backfield piece, though, as Payton said Jonah Coleman should see more touches after what he has shown. For a Broncos offense still sorting out its identity, that kind of comment matters because it hints at where the staff wants to lean as the season moves along, even if the exact usage plan remains a little murky for the moment. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Helped Expose A Worrying Broncos Offensive Trend
The Broncos are still winning after Sean Payton took back play-calling duties in Week 5, but the change has not been as clean as the record suggests. Denver has gone 3-0 since the switch, yet there is a nagging offensive wrinkle underneath the wins, especially in the part of the field where drives are supposed to stay alive and good teams usually separate themselves.
The concern is showing up on third down, where Denver has looked far less efficient with Payton handling the calls than it did earlier in the season under Davis Webb. Even more troubling for the Broncos is the context around that slide, because the recent stretch has come against opponents that were supposed to be more manageable than the defenses Webb faced. The results are piling up in the standings, but the trend underneath them is hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]