​Denver Broncos defensive tackle Zach Allen told The Denver Post this week that the defense enters 2026 with a clear plan about where its sack total is headed, using last season’s franchise-record performance as the foundation for what lies ahead. “In this league you’ve kind of always got to keep on finding ways to get better and adjusting and all that,” Allen said. “It also helps when you’ve got ‘V.J.’ dialing stuff up that helps us get one-on-ones. We’ve got a lot of good guys and that’s going to create a lot of opportunities for people. We came close to the sack record last year and we fully expect to break it this year.” The NFL single-season sacks record stands at 72, set by the 1984 Chicago Bears. Denver logged 68 sacks in 2025, just four shy of that mark, which the Bears achieved over a 16-game regular season. With Denver moving to 17 games this year, the defense has one extra opportunity to chase a number that eluded a unit that led the NFL in sacks and pressures throughout the 2025 campaign.
Allen was instrumental in driving that production, posting 73 pressures, seven sacks, and a league-leading 47 quarterback hits, which earned him his first career first-team All-Pro honor. Linebacker Nik Bonitto led the team with 14 sacks, a career high, and eight players notched four or more sacks. That depth and distribution were key to the 2025 total and fuel Allen’s confidence that the unit can sustain the pace next season.
A major question heading into 2026 is how Denver replaces the production of defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers, who recorded 7.5 sacks before signing with the Tennessee Titans in free agency. Allen acknowledged the challenge and pointed to continuity as a hopeful balm: “Minus Onyedim, it’s the same group that’s been here basically the past two years. They’ve got the same coach.” He highlighted Sai’vion Jones and Malcolm Roach as players who were limited by depth but who showed their potential in practice.
Denver’s season thus far culminated in a loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game in January, leaving them one win short of a Super Bowl berth. The defense had given the team every chance to advance, underscoring the unit’s impact even as the offense sought to close the gap.
Whether the offense catches up in 2026 remains a broader organizational question, but Allen’s blunt proclamation about breaking the sack record signals the defense’s resolve and its expectation that it can carry a substantial portion of the load. As the team prepares for a 17-game slate, the emphasis will be on maintaining pressure, rotating fresh pass rushers, and leveraging the experience and chemistry that produced a top-tier sack and pressure output in 2025.
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