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Jeff Legwold
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The first thing on the list for the Denver Broncos’ defense when the regular season opens next Sunday is, well, a first.
In front of a sellout Empower Field at Mile High crowd that will likely be in a full boil, the Broncos’ defense will open the 2025 campaign lining up across from Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft. It will be the first time since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger that the Broncos will begin a season against a rookie quarterback.
The meeting will not only be a test for Ward but also for a Denver defense that believes it will be one of the NFL’s best.
“We want to have the No. 1 defense, we talk about it, 100 percent,” Broncos edge rusher Nik Bonitto said. “But we have to go out and do it, we have to do the things, each of us, to make that happen. How do we do that? Be better than last year and get off to a good start.
“It doesn’t matter who is across from us every week, we want to be that defense that starts fast and just keeps going.”
Starting fast has been an emphasis throughout the offseason. Broncos coach Sean Payton has been adamant in saying that his team can win the Super Bowl this season. To accomplish that, Denver will have to improve on its September play from the previous two years to set itself up for home playoff games. The Broncos opened last season 0-2 and were 0-3 to start the 2023 season.
“This is the time when you’re anxious to see what you have,” Payton said. “And look, we need to start fast … we have a home opener … and we haven’t [started fast] the last couple years and it’s hard to be one of those upper-echelon teams if you play yo-yo football.”
Denver plans to lean on its defense to break the slow-start trend. Last season, the Broncos had the league’s No. 3 scoring D (18.3 points per game) and set a franchise record for sacks with an NFL-leading 63. They also were the league leader in defensive EPA, which measures a defense’s ability to limit scoring opportunities in each down-and-distance situation.
When the Broncos did an extended debrief of the 2024 season, which saw them go 10-7 and break an eight-year playoff drought before losing to the Bills in the wild-card round, they decided to devote resources to making their strength even stronger. Denver added linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga in free agency and drafted cornerback Jahdae Barron in the first round.
All are on track to start against the Titans — Barron is expected to be the nickel corner — so Ward’s NFL welcome will be against a pressure-happy, man-coverage-heavy group with lofty expectations.
“I think we’ve all been telling each other, and I’ve been telling everybody, just meet me at the ball,” Broncos safety Brandon Jones said.
It makes for a tricky debut for Ward, who Titans coach Brian Callahan named the starter early this offseason. The former Miami quarterback played 44 preseason snaps spanning three games, going 10-of-19 for 145 yards without a touchdown or an interception.
“[Ward’s] command is outstanding,” Callahan said. “He’s going to be able to move around more when I don’t have to govern him to not take any hits.”
Ward built a quick relationship with veteran wide receiver Calvin Ridley, who caught three of Ward’s five completions in the quarterback’s preseason debut. The rookie also piloted a 13-play, 90-yard touchdown drive in the Titans’ preseason finale against Minnesota.
Ward will face a rigorous pass rush which was led by Bonitto’s 13.5 sacks but also got top production from edge Jonathon Cooper (10.5 sacks) and defensive tackles Zach Allen (8.5) and John Franklin-Myers (seven) last year. Echoing the sentiments of scouts who evaluated Ward in the predraft process, first-year Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz said it will be important for Ward to employ proper footwork to maintain his accuracy in the face of Denver’s pressure.
“Some of the [throws] where his feet are off kilter,” Holz said recently. “He’s somewhat falling away from it, so he’s not really stepping into the throw. You see that front foot not really driving, or his hips not really driving towards the target.”
Along with the fierce pass rush, Ward figures to see press coverage from a Broncos secondary led by lockdown cornerback Pat Surtain II, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. The Broncos also feel good about Barron, Hufanga, Jones and third-year cornerback Riley Moss, which gives them the option to be even more aggressive in how they attack Ward.
Ward will be the first rookie quarterback the Broncos will have faced since they played New Orleans’ Spencer Rattler in Week 7 last season. Rattler was benched after the Broncos sacked him six times. In 2023, the Broncos faced three rookie quarterbacks — C.J. Stroud (Texans), Aidan O’Connell (Raiders) and Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Browns). They lost two of those games, to Houston in Week 13 and the Raiders in the season finale.
Since the start of the 2000 season, the Broncos have faced 25 rookie quarterback starters, compiling a 15-10 record. The most notable was Patrick Mahomes’ first career start in the 2017 season finale, which the Chiefs won.