The odds of making an NFL roster are minuscule. The odds of doing it without being drafted become even smaller.
If an NFL team finds a single starter every few years from the undrafted free agent pool, that’s considered a success. To end up with 2 — possibly 3 — on a single defense? And 1 that’s considered 1 of the NFL’s best?
That’s kind of unheard of. Yet, that’s what the Denver Broncos are doing.
The Broncos have 2 UDFA starters on defense who are among the NFL’s very best at their positions, with inside linebacker Alex Singleton and slot cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian, along with another key contributor in edge rusher Dondrea Tillman.
All 3 were placed on the Pro Football Focus NFL All-UDFA Team for 2026.
Broncos Rewarded Singleton With $15M Contract
The Broncos tried and failed to find an “elite” inside linebacker before the 2025 season with a 3-year, $31.5 million free-agent contract for Dre Greenlaw, who ended up being a bust.
It turned out they had the answer they needed on the roster the entire time with the 32-year-old Singleton, who they rewarded with a 2-year, $15 million contract on March 9 — almost equal to the money he’s made in his 1st decade in the NFL.
“Linebacker is one of the few positions where undrafted players have consistently found success,” PFF’s Daire Carragher wrote on June 24 “Fifteen undrafted linebackers have started at least one game over the past three seasons, and more than 20% of all linebacker tackles last season were recorded by players who entered the league without hearing their names called on draft day … Singleton stands out even within that group, (and) continues to play some of the best football of his career at age 32.”
Singleton has averaged 152 tackles in 3 full seasons with the Broncos — minus the 2024 season in which he only played 3 games before he suffered a season-ending torn ACL.
Ja’Quan McMillian in Line for Massive Contract
McMillian is coming off a star turn in the AFC playoffs, including what proved to be a game-clinching interception against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round.
He’ll play on a $5.8 million free-agent tender in 2026 but should be in line for a big contract — from the Broncos or someone else. McMillian’s play in 2026 was even more remarkable considering he held off Denver’s 1st-round pick, Jahdae Barron, for the entire season.
“McMillian’s signature moment came when he intercepted Josh Allen to seal Denver’s AFC Championship Game victory,” Carragher wrote. “Beyond his coverage ability, McMillian is also an effective blitzer, generating eight pressures and four sacks on just 40 pass-rush opportunities last season.”
Arrests Might Give Tillman Chance at More Snaps
Tillman has been incredibly effective when he’s been on the field — those opportunities just haven’t come up very much playing behind 2 of the NFL’s best edge rushers in NFL All-Pro Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper the last 2 seasons.
There might be a bigger opportunity for Tillman to see the field in 2026 after Cooper was arrested twice in a 7-day stretch, and might not even be available this season as he deals with legal issues.
“That leaves Dondrea Tillman, whose path to the NFL was anything but conventional,” Carragher wrote. “After joining the Broncos from the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions, Tillman has played just 747 defensive snaps. Even so, he has produced 49 pressures and nine sacks in a rotational role. Tillman is also the only NFL player to emerge from Curt Cignetti’s tenure as head coach at IUP, making his rise all the more unlikely.”
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