Dondrea Tillman’s amazing football journey continues.
The Denver Broncos are signing the Birmingham Stallions defensive lineman to a three-year, $2.84 million contract, according to KPRC-TV’s Aaron Wilson. Tillman needs to pass a physical and be released from his UFL contract for the deal to become official, but both are viewed as formalities.
After graduating from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2019, Tillman was out of football for two years before a one-season stint in The Spring League with the Conquerors in 2021.
Tillman (6-3, 270 pounds) stood out in The Spring League and was later picked by the Birmingham Stallions in the third round of the 2022 USFL draft. He won two straight USFL titles in Birmingham, and following the USFL-XFL merger, Tillman won a third title in the UFL’s inaugural season this spring.
Tillman was the UFL’s highest-graded defender by Pro Football Focus in 2024 (93.6). PFF credited him with 54 tackles, five sacks, eight quarterback hits, 21 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 41 QB hurries.
We need to have a conversation about @USFLStallions DE Dondrea Tillman. How is this man not in the NFL?
He had another spectacular outing against St. Louis this weekend: 4 tackles, 3 TFL's, 1 sack. @dondreatillman2 is the top graded D-Lineman in the #UFL, at 92.0!! per @PFF.… pic.twitter.com/7lV9En2t7o
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) May 13, 2024
Tillman is a bit of a tweener — he’s at least 15 pounds lighter than defensive ends Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers but 30 pounds heavier than outside linebackers Baron Browning and Nik Bonitto. If he’s going to play as an OLB in Denver’s base 3-4 defense, the Broncos will likely ask him to lose some weight.
Denver will need to make a corresponding move to make room for Tillman on the 90-man offseason roster. The 26-year-old defender will report for training camp next month.
