​The Denver Broncos’ defense was among the league’s stingiest last season, but one key statistic continues to drive the unit as it heads toward training camp: creating more turnovers. Although the team led the NFL in several defensive categories, Broncos players and coaches believe there were too many game-changing plays they didn’t convert into takeaways. Generating turnovers has become a major offseason focus, with edge rusher Nik Bonitto noting that the defense often made impactful plays but failed to capitalize with fumbles and interceptions. “You have to look at that,” Bonitto said. “We made so many plays—the sacks, the third downs, the stops at the run. And the turnovers didn’t really come with it. We always say they come in bunches, but the bunches didn’t really come.” He added that the next step is turning sacks into strip-sacks and giving the offense more short-field opportunities, emphasizing the need to “turn some of those sacks into a takeaway, get the ball out.” The message has been clear from defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who prioritized turnovers as soon as players reported for offseason workouts in May.
Safety Talanoa Hufanga confirmed the emphasis, saying it was “right on the board,” at the top. The Broncos’ defense has already established itself as one of the NFL’s most disruptive units, with a fierce pass rush led by Bonitto and a physical secondary anchored by Hufanga. Denver has consistently pressured opposing quarterbacks and excelled on third down. Now the objective is to translate that pressure into possessions. Takeaways can swing momentum, create scoring opportunities, and be the difference in close games. While sacks and tackles for loss remain valuable, the Broncos recognize that forcing turnovers can elevate an already elite defense into a unit capable of carrying the team deep into the postseason.
As training camp nears, expect ball-security drills, strip-sack techniques, and takeaway circuits to be at the forefront. If Denver can couple its dominant defense with a notable rise in turnovers, the Broncos could become one of the NFL’s most complete teams in 2026.