Denver Broncos defensive end Zach Allen is one of the league’s most underrated defensive linemen.
He doesn’t get nearly as much attention as many of the NFL’s top defenders. However, No. 99 is impossible to miss when watching the Broncos’ defense. He jumps off the screen.
Allen’s impact might be slept on in league circles, but ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes he belongs among the league’s top game-wreckers. No one would be surprised to learn that Patrick Surtain II was included on his list of the 20 best non-QBs (at number 7) in the league. Some might be surprised that Allen is also on the list. Barnwell “drafted” him with the final pick.
“Such an incredible interior perpetrator. [He] blows up play after play,” Barnwell said. “Yes, playing aside [Nik] Bonitto and [Jonathan] Cooper when he’s there goes a long way, but I think he is the guy that makes the front seven work for Denver.”
Yahoo Sports analyst Nate Tice also added, “He’s the key cog. That’s why [Broncos defensive coordinator] Vance Joseph was like, ‘I’ve got to bring this guy in.’ Even in Arizona, his underlying numbers were so good that I remember being like, ‘I have to peep this guy,’ and I was like, ‘oh, this guy has got something to him.’ ”
Notably, Barnwell also called Allen a “poor man’s J.J. Watt.”
Zach Allen Learned Under J.J. Watt In Arizona
It’s interesting that they compared Allen to Watt, as he played alongside the future Hall of Famer during his final two years with the Cardinals. He took a massive year-three leap in 2021 (Watt’s first year in the desert) and improved even more the following season.
Watt immediately took Allen under his wing. The latter took full advantage of that fact, as well.
“Zach asks more questions than anybody on planet Earth, I think,” Watt told ESPN after the 2022 season. “So, sometimes I have to say, ‘All right, Zach, stop asking me questions.’ It’s one of those relationships where you’re happy because you know he just wants to get better. Sometimes, I just [say] ‘Zach, I just gotta breathe for like five seconds.’ But, it’s awesome.”
Watt’s answers seemingly didn’t fall on deaf ears. Immediately after arriving in Denver, Allen has followed in Watt’s footsteps as one of the league’s most feared interior rushers.
Allen’s Stats Might Not Be Gaudy, But His Impact On Broncos’ Defense Is
The 29-year-old has started all but one game for the Broncos since signing with the team ahead of the 2023 campaign. He had 5 sacks, 8 TFLs, and a forced fumble in his first year in Denver, and stepped up his game with a career-high output across the board the next year. He finished the 2024 campaign with 61 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and a whopping 15 TFLs.
That performance earned him a second-team All-Pro nod, and he followed it up with a first-team All-Pro campaign last year (7 sacks, 4 TFLs).
The numbers don’t jump off the screen compared to other elite defensive linemen. However, they also don’t tell the full story. His league-high 47 QB hits, which was nine more than Myles Garrett in second place, do a much better job of that, though. He’s always around the ball and ALWAYS putting pressure on opposing QBs.
He also picked up right where he left off this season. He’s already hit Patrick Mahomes and Trevor Lawrence a combined four times over the first two games and also has two sacks. Allen is as dominant as they come.
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