Broncos $47 Million Defensive Lineman Playing Like NFL All-Pro

Getty Denver Broncos defensive lineman Zach Allen.

When it comes to defensive linemen in the NFL, perhaps only a few players in the entire league are playing at the level Denver Broncos star Zach Allen is right now.

In the void left by the retirement of 3-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald following the 2023 season, Allen has quickly become one of the league’s elite defensive players. He also looks like he could make his first NFL All-Pro Team or first Pro Bowl in his sixth season.

“Zach Allen has a 26% pass rush win rate at defensive tackle this season,” ESPN Sports Analytics Writer Seth Walder wrote on his official X account on October 7. “No other player is over 20%.”

Allen has been one of the leaders on one of the NFL’s best defenses alongside NFL All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II and has 12 QB hits, 3.0 sacks, 21 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and 1 safety through 5 games — including 3 consecutive wins by the Broncos after an 0-2 start.

Broncos Made Huge Investment in Allen in 2023

Since the Broncos signed him to a 3-year, $47.75 million free-agent contract in March 2023, those in the know understand Allen has quietly been one of the NFL’s best at his position — not just in 2024.

In his first season in Denver in 2023, Allen started all 17 games and finished with 60 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 8 tackles for loss and 24 QB hits as one of the few bright spots in a year when the Broncos finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs for an eighth consecutive season.

Now, behind veterans like himself and Surtain and up-and-coming stars like cornerback Riley Moss, the Broncos have one of the league’s most stout defensive units.

Allen Quietly Worked His Way Toward NFL Stardom

After earning All-ACC honors at Boston College in 2018, Allen was drafted in the third round (No. 65 overall) by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019.

Allen became a plug-and-play starter for the Cardinals as a rookie but injured his neck in Week 4 and missed the rest of the season. He moved from defensive end to defensive tackle and missed 4 games in 2020 and became a full-time starter at defensive end in 2021. Allen had the best season of his career in 2022 — the final season of his 4-year, $4.75 million rookie contract — with 47 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 10 TFL and 20 QB hits in just 13 games.

Allen responded to his big payday from the Broncos by playing in every regular-season game for the first time in his 5 NFL seasons along with 60 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 8 TFL and a whopping 24 QB hits.

His last 2 seasons in Arizona, Allen played opposite a one-of-a-kind mentor in fellow defensive end and 3-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt — the kind of apprenticeship some NFL players would die for.

“I can really only speak highly about (Watt),” Allen told NFL.com after signing with the Broncos in 2023. “I think I was able to learn from him, obviously, and I’m very fortunate for that. I think last year, it was a really good opportunity. We had great on-field and off-field chemistry and I’m still picking his brain for ideas. He’s helping me pick furniture right now for my new house.”