The biggest question for the Denver Broncos‘ defense is how they might replace the production of edge rusher Jonathon Cooper, who remains on the NFL Commissioner’s Exempt List 3 games into the regular season.
The answer might be 6-foot-4, 243-pound 2nd-year edge rusher Que Robinson, who seems to get better every game.
The next opportunity is also the biggest for the 2025 4th-round draft pick — a primetime showdown against the Super Bowl favorite Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football.
“Don’t look now, but Que Robinson is heating up,” DNVR’s Zac Stevens wrote on his official X account on Friday. “He has a TFL in 4 of his past 5 games and had a sack last week.”
Through 2 games in 2026, Robinson has 8 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1 TFL, and 2 QB hits.
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Broncos GM Praised Robinson Following Playoff Loss
Broncos general manager George Paton praised Robinson as the player with the “Most Upside” on Denver’s roster out of its young talent following last season’s AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots.
Robinson only played in 6 games as a rookie, but all were in the 2nd half of the season. In the biggest moment of the year — the AFC Championship Game — he played his best game with 3 tackles, 1.0 sack, and 1 TFL in a 10-7 loss to the Patriots.
“The rookie poised for the biggest potential Year 2 jump might be Robinson,” ESPN’s Jeff Legwold wrote in February. “Paton said the 21-year-old edge rusher might ‘have the most upside of anyone in our draft class,’ because of his potential as a pass rusher as well as a high-value special teams player. After a regular season in which he had 12 tackles and a half-sack, Robinson had a sack of Drake Maye in the AFC title game.”
Robinson Predicted as ‘Breakout Player’ in 2026
The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider predicted Robinson will be the “Breakout Player” for the Broncos in 2026.
“Robinson, a 2025 fourth-round pick out of Alabama, played sparingly as a rookie on Denver’s deep defense, but he made a lasting impression during his appearance in the AFC Championship Game by chasing down Drake Maye and pulling down the Patriots quarterback by the shoulders for a sack,” Kosmider wrote on July 13. “Robinson was already trending toward a bigger role on the edge in Year 2, but that will especially be the case if Jonathon Cooper faces an NFL suspension following two June arrests.”
Robinson could also end up being a tremendous value in 2026 on a 4-year, $5.05 million rookie contract — meaning the total value of his contract is what it will cost to pay Cooper and NFL All-Pro edge rusher Nik Bonitto for approximately 2 regular-season games.
Broncos’ 6-foot-4, 243-Pound Edge Rusher ‘Heating Up’ Before Primetime Showdown