The Broncos are banking on Que Robinson to be one of the next defenders to push this unit even higher.
Denver’s defense has already looked nasty in camp, and the push around the building is to get back to the team’s “standards” that made it so hard to move the ball against them. Robinson, the former Alabama linebacker, is one of the players expected to help get them there after flashing with a big sack of New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye in the AFC Championship game back in January.
He’s still in the proving-it phase, though. Robinson logged 23 snaps against the Green Bay Packers, and Denver needs those reps to turn into something more. Against reserve tackle Brant Banks, he pulled off a move that Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post described as a “step forward.”
Robinson liked the way it felt, especially after spending camp going against Denver’s own offensive tackles.
“Shoot, man, I’ve been giving our offensive tackles hell all of camp,” Robinson said after the game. “So it feels pretty good to go against somebody else and work a move that I’ve been practicing for I don’t know how long.
“It felt pretty good. It probably would have felt better if we’d have won.”
The Broncos see a player with room to climb. Robinson played only 370 snaps across four years at Alabama, largely because he was stuck behind first-round picks Will Anderson and Dallas Turner, but Denver believes that limited college workload may have hidden a real fourth-round steal.
Head coach Sean Payton pointed to the traits that stood out when the Broncos studied him.
“There were certain traits you saw on film,” Payton said earlier in training camp. “He’s a real good technician and he’s one of those guys that we know has been coached hard.
We felt coming into this defense from what he was playing in, there were some similarities to what we were going to ask him to do. I think that’s a help.”
General manager George Paton has gone even further, saying Robinson might have the most upside of any defensive player Denver picked in the 2025 draft. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has also made it clear Robinson needs more playing time.
That belief isn’t just coming from the coaches. Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto has seen enough in practice to buy into the upside, too.
“Que is obviously a very talented guy. He’s showing out every day in practice,” Bonitto said back before the Atlanta game.
Atlanta. “He has all the tools and whenever he sets his mind to it, nobody can block him.
He’s been playing really well right now and I’m excited especially to see these next couple of games what he does out there.
“I know he’s going to put on a show for sure.”
Robinson says he feels the same confidence from inside the building, but he also knows he still has work to do, especially against the run and when it comes to showing up consistently snap after snap.
“I’m able to play fast and go, man,” He said. “The guys in my room and, shoot, really, the team believes in me.
They’ve got high hopes for me. I’ve just got to try to prove them right and put all my energy out there on the field for everybody.
…
“I don’t want to go out there half-stepping or getting in my own head. Or being like, ‘oh, my pinky hurts, poor me’ and stuff like that.”
For Robinson, every preseason chance matters because of the trust Denver has already placed in him.
“You’ve got to make it count,” he said. “This is a great defense. You’ve got Nik and Coop and Jonah and all those guys out there giving it their all.
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Broncos Just Sent A Clear Message About One Camp Battle
The Broncos made a small but telling roster move before their preseason finale, signing outside linebacker Ron Stone Jr. and waiving wide receiver Hakeem Butler. For a team still sorting through the back end of the roster, those kinds of late-August decisions can say plenty about where the staff thinks it needs help and which position groups are closing in on answers.
Stone arrives as an undrafted player with United Football League experience, but no NFL game action yet, while Butlers departure came after he struggled to stand out in preseason and slipped behind other receivers on the depth chart. Even with final roster decisions still ahead, Denver has made it clear where this camp battle stands, and the last chance to change the conversation is running out. [Read more 🡒]