Broncos See OLB Que Robinson As Potential Future Starter; Latest On Jonathon Cooper
Jonathan Cooper is facing legal issues stemming from two June arrests. Although such issues do not regularly produce releases, the Broncos did excuse the outside linebacker starter from minicamp while he navigates off-field issues.
A scenario in which the Broncos move forward with Cooper while he lands on the reserve/suspended list — should the NFL act before the season starts — following his two arrests involving an incident with his girlfriend would align with how teams usually proceed in cases like this. The issue of voiding future guarantees is mostly immaterial, but Cooper did see a hefty 2026 guarantee ($11.49MM) trigger in March. No guarantees are on the Broncos’ books beyond 2026, though they did restructure Cooper’s contract this offseason.
[RELATED: Marvin Mims Interested In Broncos Extension, Addresses Denver Future]
The Broncos’ decision on Cooper, hit with a second-degree felony assault charge in addition to the misdemeanor domestic violence and criminal mischief charges from his first arrest (which produced a not guilty plea), would also involve notable dead money due to the team turning to his contract in a restructure to create cap space.
Denver cutting Cooper with a post-June 1 designation, as it did with Dre Greenlaw this year, in 2027 would be the more logical move. But he must first avoid legal trouble before the prospect of an NFL suspension and Broncos second chance emerges. The team may soon — from a Cooper suspension or release — need to turn to its younger batch of Nik Bonitto sidekicks.
Jonah Elliss has served as the Broncos’ No. 3 OLB for most of his career, and while the team was set to experiment with him in an off-ball linebacking role (brothers Kaden and Christian‘s position), Sean Payton did not follow through and deemed the former third-rounder too valuable as an edge rusher. The Broncos also roster UFL product Dondrea Tillman, the oft-injured Drew Sanders and 2025 fourth-rounder Que Robinson. GM George Paton said in January he sees Robinson carrying the highest upside of anyone in the team’s 2025 draft class, and Vance Joseph said recently — in between Cooper arrests — he sees the Alabama product as a potential future starter, per the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel.
The Broncos’ since-nixed Elliss ILB experiment was aimed at generating more Robinson playing time; the former Will Anderson Jr./Dallas Turner Crimson Tide backup played 150 defensive snaps last season, being active in just six regular-season games. Robinson registered a half-sack in the regular season but dropped Drake Maye once in the AFC championship game.
Robinson only registered six sacks in four Alabama seasons and is already 25 (Cooper is 28). The former five-star recruit played just 370 college snaps, though the pedigree coming out of high school undoubtedly helped him.
Cooper is the first Bronco arrested since the current ownership group purchased the franchise in summer 2022, Gabriel adds, so a decision will be interesting here with regards to how the team will do business.
Becoming a full-time starter in 2023, Cooper played well enough the Broncos were comfortable trading Randy Gregory and cutting Frank Clark in 2023 and then sending Baron Browning to the Cardinals in 2024. The team extended Cooper just before trading his former Ohio State teammate, and he has tallied 27 sacks over the past three seasons.
Denver has Cooper on a team-friendly deal — four years, $54MM — considering his resume, and the March restructure saved $8.2MM on the team’s 2026 payroll. The Broncos added void years to Cooper’s pact, and the restructure would create an $18.8MM dead cap charge — which would be spread over two years — in the event of a release. Though, Gabriel adds the Broncos can go after up to $17.1MM in signing bonus money if they choose to release Cooper post-suspension.
In seeing the speedy pass rusher produce as he has while being tied to the 35th-highest salary among edge rushers, the Broncos have a bargain here. But Cooper’s future with the team is foggy. Robinson’s growth could certainly affect how the Broncos view Cooper long term.
Tight End, Tackle On Broncos’ Draft Radar
The Jaylen Waddle trade required the Broncos’ first-round pick (and more) to complete, marking the fourth first-rounder Denver has traded since the 2022 offseason. The Broncos moved two firsts for Russell Wilson and then packaged the pick from the Bradley Chubb trade to obtain Sean Payton‘s rights. Denver including the No. 30 overall pick in the Waddle trade will mean another long wait for the AFC West franchise.
Sitting at No. 62, the defending AFC West champions do not look to have glaring needs. Two pathways have surfaced, however. Payton’s team has done plenty of work on tight ends, according to ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold. This has included “30” visits with Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers, Ohio State’s Max Klare and NC State’s Justin Joly. Stowers’ previously reported Denver visit is today, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds.
A two-year, $23MM Evan Engram contract was thought to stabilize a roster spot that had not provided much since the Noah Fant years, but Denver did not see Engram and Bo Nix click. The former Pro Bowler caught 50 passes for 461 yards and just one touchdown in 2025. The Broncos have been connected to bolstering their TE room previously, but one of their targets — Dallas Goedert — continued to see his void date in Philadelphia pushed back and ultimately re-signed with the Eagles. David Njoku remains unattached, but Denver interest has not been reported.
Engram will turn 32 in September, and $5MM of his $10.99MM 2026 base salary is guaranteed. The rest of that money does not lock in until September, however. The Broncos would be hit with $10.33MM in dead money were they to release Engram, who has one void year on his deal.
The prospect of the Broncos — with Nix still on a rookie contract — hanging onto Engram and adding a younger option may be in play, though the team re-signed ex-Payton Saints draftee Adam Trautman and retained tight end/fullback Nate Adkins in free agency. Although RFA Lucas Krull was nontendered, he re-signed at a lower rate.
Only one TE — Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq — sits in Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com top 50, and he will go well before No. 62. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. does rank Stowers 36th overall. The Payton-era Broncos have also displayed a penchant for trading up after Round 1, climbing to acquire Marvin Mims, Riley Moss and Troy Franklin between Rounds 2 and 4 from 2023-24. Klare and Joly respectively rank 64th and 92nd, per Scouts Inc.
Another path the Broncos could take involves their tackles’ ages. Garett Bolles will turn 34 in May, while Mike McGlinchey will play an age-32 season. Both are signed beyond 2026, but the team may need an heir apparent for at least one of its edge blockers soon. That is an area ESPN.com’s Matt Miller lists as being in play at No. 62.
The Broncos gave swingman Matt Peart a pay cut and re-signed fellow swing Alex Palczewski (two years, $9.5MM) last month. Options are there for 2026, but a starter-level tackle may need to be acquired either this year or next. Bolles has been Denver’s LT since 2017, while McGlinchey stopped a decade-long carousel at RT by signing in 2023.
Elsewhere on the Broncos’ roster, their decision to give Jonah Elliss inside linebacker reps stems in large part on giving 2025 fourth-round pick Que Robinson a chance at more playing time, the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel notes. Denver had Robinson behind Elliss in its outside linebacker rotation. Robinson played in just six games last season, being healthy-scratched for several contests, and recorded just a half-sack on 150 defensive snaps.
The Alabama product did sack Drake Maye in the AFC championship game, and the Broncos appear set to see what he has in the tank. Should Elliss indeed join brothers Kaden and Christian as a true ILB, the Broncos are looking at a second-string OLB duo of Robinson and Dondrea Tillman.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/9/26
Here are the minor move from a frenzied free agency first day:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB Natrone Brooks, LB Christian Harris, DE Cameron Thomas
Buffalo Bills
- Re-signed: P Mitch Wishnowsky
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Akayleb Evans, CB Robert Rochell
Houston Texans
- Signed: DE Dominique Robinson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: OLB Dennis Gardeck
- Released: TE Johnny Mundt
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: K Matt Gay
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LS Joe Cardona
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: TE Greg Dulcich
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Chris Manhertz
New York Jets
- Signed: FB Andrew Beck
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DL Esezi Otomewo
Bears DE Austin Booker Primed For Breakout Season
Chicago’s biggest free agent signings this offseason were on their defensive and offensive fronts. Defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, and center Drew Dalman all earned three-year contracts with values north of $40MM. Odeyingbo will now line up across from Montez Sweat on the ends of the defensive line, which will force a promising, young second-year player to come off the bench in his sophomore campaign. 
According to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic, Austin Booker seems primed for a breakout season in 2025. A fifth-round rookie last year, Booker didn’t get any starts in his first season, but he became an important member of the defensive line rotation early and often throughout the year. In the first half of the season, he frequently was on the field for a third of the team’s defensive snaps, twice seeing the field for nearly half of the defense’s snaps in games. In his limited time, he tallied 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hits, and three tackles for loss.
Booker benefits most this year from a lack of depth at the position. Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter and second-round rookie Shemar Turner both have the flexibility to kick outside in bigger formations, but behind Sweat and Odeyingbo, Booker is competing as a true edge rusher with Dominique Robinson, Xavier Carlton, Daniel Hardy, and Jamree Kromah. Robinson has more experience than Booker, but in three years, he’s struggled to stay on the field and struggled to make an impact whenever he is available. Carlton is impressive but has much to prove as an undrafted free agent rookie. Hardy was a special teamer for most of last year, and Kromah was an undrafted rookie who failed to ever see the field in 2024.
While Booker didn’t jump off the stat sheet in Year 1, he showed lots of promise. With a lack of serious competition behind him, Booker is primed to enter training camp as the first defensive end off the bench. If he can hold that position going into the regular season, the 22-year-old should have plenty of opportunities to get on the field and make a name for himself in Year 2.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/7/25
Today’s 2025 NFL Draft pick signings as we begin to get into rookie minicamps. Here is another group of mid- to late-rounders who signed their four-year rookie contracts today:
Denver Broncos
- WR Pat Bryant (third round, Illinois)
- DE Sai’vion Jones (third round, LSU)
- OLB Que Robinson (fourth round, Alabama)
- P Jeremy Crawshaw (sixth round, Florida)
Houston Texans
- CB Jaylin Smith (third round, USC)
The Broncos followed up yesterday’s signing of tight end Caleb Lohner (seventh round, Utah) with rookie contracts for two more of their 2025 draft picks.
Bryant’s 6-foot-2, 204-pound frame, jumping ability, and strong hands make him a reliable receiver at the catch point, but his below-average athleticism will limit his separation in the NFL. He posted 984 yards and 10 touchdowns in his senior year at Illinois but will face an uphill battle for playing time as a rookie in a crowded Broncos receiver room.
The Broncos used a sixth-round pick on Crenshaw after moving on from veteran Riley Dixon this offseason. Barring injury or a disastrous training camp, the former Gator will take over as Denver’s punter this season. He was the only punter selected in the 2025 draft.
The Texans surprised many by taking Smith in the third round after he was projected to be a Day 3 pick. His size may restrict him to nickel duties in the NFL, a role he filled in 2022 and 2023 for the Trojans. He played on the outside in 2024 and could still compete for a boundary role in Houston, who just extended safety/nickel defender Jalen Pitre this offseason.