After acquiring John Franklin-Myers in a trade with the New York Jets earlier this offseason, the Denver Broncos are set to go into the 2024 NFL season with Zach Allen and JFM as their starting defensive ends.
That’s a formidable duo.
“[W]e’ve known each other for a couple years now,” Allen said in July. “We’ve always joked about playing with each other. I’ve been watching him for a while and to see it up close and talk to him about it, it’s cool because we see the game the same way.
“So kind of that whole learning period of playing with a guy opposite of you, we didn’t really have and it was pretty smooth sailing. That’s pretty rare to have, and to have that is huge so we’ve hit the ground running so far with it.”
Allen totaled 24 quarterback hits and five sacks in his first season with the Broncos last fall. JFM recorded 48 QB hits and 14.5 sacks in his final three seasons with the Jets.
“I think you see Zach play and you see a guy who can win with power, he can win with speed and he can win with any type of move that he throws out there,” Franklin-Myers said in July. “Having somebody across from you — on the opposite side of you who kind of sees the same thing, you’re able to work some of those protections and work some of those games when it’s time.
“It’s the hardest thing because a lot of people don’t see that. Just through the conversations, through the little bit of practice that we’ve had and just getting a chance to work some of that stuff and bounce ideas off of each other, it’s only going to make us that much better.”
After having practiced together in training camp, Allen and JFM are now set to go into the 2024 season familiar with each other’s game. They should prove to be a talented duo for the Broncos this fall.
