Defensive Tackle · Denver Broncos

Malcolm Roach

No. 97 · 7th season

Sean Payton noticed something in Malcolm Roach that the depth chart didn't

Coaches don't hand out praise in the offseason for fun. When Sean Payton says a player has caught his eye, it usually means something is happening in practice that hasn't shown up anywhere public yet.

Roach has been working in the trenches for the Denver Broncos, the kind of player who rarely gets a headline but tends to get quiet nods from the people watching every day. Now one of those nods is coming from the head coach.

Payton has made clear he sees Roach as a real piece of the defense going into 2026. That is a different thing than surviving a roster cut — it means someone has a role being built around them, not just a spot being tolerated.

For a player who has spent most of his career in the background, that kind of public confidence from a coach is currency. The question now is what Roach does with the attention.

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