The Denver Broncos couldn’t help but like what they saw from rookie edge rusher Quandarrius “Que” Robinson with the season on the line.
When some of the Broncos’ most high-profile stars were shrinking violets, Robinson was front and center with 3 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 TFL in a 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
For Robinson, a 2025 4th round pick, that’s the type of momentum that might springboard him into a surprisingly good sophomore campaign after he had just 6 tackles and a half-sack in 6 regular-season games.
Broncos reporter Mike Klis put Robinson’s development on his list of the most important questions facing the Super Bowl contenders headed into 2026.
“One reason why the Broncos are considering moving (Jonah) Elliss back to inside is the Broncos like their depth at outside linebacker better than they do at inside linebacker,” Klis wrote on May 27. “At outside linebacker, there are starters Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper with Dondrea Tillman as solid No. 3. The Broncos drafted Que Robinson in the fourth round last year and though he only played in six games, the coaching staff saw him come on as a dynamic player, even registering a sack of Drake Maye in the AFC Championship Game.”
High Praise From Broncos GM George Paton
In February, Broncos general manager George Paton called Robinson the player with the “Most Upside” out of Denver’s 2025 rookie class — high praise considering running back RJ Harvey scored 12 touchdowns.
Robinson, 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, played all 6 games his rookie year in the 2nd half of the season and, as previously stated, played his best game when it mattered most.
“The rookie poised for the biggest potential Year 2 jump might be Robinson,” Paton told ESPN’s Jeff Legwold. “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.”
Lofty Comparisons Before Rookie Season
To be clear, Robinson has done little in his football career that would indicate he has the potential to become a star in the NFL.
In 5 seasons at the University of Alabama, Robinson was only a starter in his final season in 2024 — 5 starts in 9 games — and finished with 4.0 sacks. Robinson only played 379 career defensive stats, but played over 700 snaps on special teams.
Special teams might be where he makes his biggest impact in 2026, although the 1st glimpse of him during last year’s rookie camp drew some lofty comparisons.
From the DNVR Podcast in May 2025: “Que Robinson is a guy who really jumped out because of his jump off the line of scrimmage. Anytime you hear someone say he’s got a ‘Von Miller burst’ and here that comparison to an all time great it’s like well, he’s a fourth round pick, how could he have a Von Miller burst? But I don’t know man … it was impressive. His jump is so good.”
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