Broncos DL Zach Allen Garner's All-Underrated Honors

It's time to give this Denver Bronco the attention he deserves.

Oct 13, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos defensive end Zach Allen (99) reaches for Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) in the second quarter at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Over the last five seasons, the Denver Broncos have only had four players earn All-Pro nods. In 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023, former Broncos safety Justin Simmons earned second-team All-Pro at safety from the Associated Press.

In 2020, Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles was awarded second-team All-Pro. Cornerback Patrick Surtain II was voted first-team All-Pro from the A.P., Pro Football Writers of America, and The Sporting News in 2023.

Kick returner Marvin Mims Jr. was selected as a first-team All-Pro by the Sporting News and second-teamer from the A.P. Simply put, the Broncos have not had a lot of superstar difference-makers over the last half decade on the whole, and the team's record over that time period reflects that lack of talent.

Fortunately, another potential superstar player has emerged on the Broncos and is starting to generate buzz from those that cover the league: sixth-year defensive lineman Zach Allen. Now in Year 2 of of a three-year, $45.75 million contract and following defensive coordinator Vance Joseph over from the Arizona Cardinals, Allen is playing at a level the Broncos have not seen from the interior since Malik Jackson and Derek Wolfe.

The Broncos haven't arguably had this level of a strong inside-out pass rusher since Trevor Pryce. Allen is playing at such a level, and it's high time he starts garnering consistent praise. He deserves to have his name mentioned in the All-Pro conversation with the likes of Chris Jones and Dexter Lawrence.

According to SBNation's Doug Farrar, Allen is one of the most underrated and underappreciated players in the league. Allen was the first player mentioned in Farrar's All-Underrated Team at the midway point of the season.

"In just 339 pass-rushing reps this season, Allen has six sacks and 44 total pressures – that second number leads all interior defensive linemen. At 6’4 and 285 pounds, Allen is the perfect 'tweener' with enough power and technique to knife through double teams, and enough speed and explosiveness to lay waste to any blocking concept. He’s now one of the best interior disruptors without a doubt," Farrar wrote.

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What makes Allen’s 2024 season even more incredible is that he is absolutely lapping every single interior defensive lineman in the league in total snaps played. Having logged 602 total defensive snaps this season, the second-highest snap total for a defensive interior player is Baltimore’s Nnamdi Madubuike at 494.

That gap of 108 defensive snaps between Allen (the highest number of snaps) and Madubuike is the same as the difference between Madubuike and the interior defensive lineman with the 27th-most. Allen is an absolute iron man.

Again, Allen is having a phenomenal season, and yet, for some unknown reason, Pro Football Focus has been grading him as a bad player this season. With Allen earning just the 81st-highest defensive grade for interior players, it’s honestly time to question PFF's entire grading process as they thoroughly don't match the eye test.

Is the discrepancy between how Allen actually plays in reality versus how PFF grades him due to scheme? Allen is playing in a front that generates far more one-on-ones with how many blitzes paired with excellent man coverage cornerback that Joseph dials up. Allen isn’t playing like Lawrence because their skill set and the defenses they play in are different.

That doesn’t mean Allen is bad. Or is Allen being graded negatively because he is asked to play so many snaps at a position that his historically rotational? It's hard to know.

With half the season to go, it will be up to Broncos Country and film watchers such as Farrar to push against the preposterous PFF grades and narratives surrounding Allen. The Broncos' defensive lineman has become one of the best interior players and pass rushers in the entire NFL, ranking third in pressures, tied for seventh in sacks, and sixth in run stops.

Allen, along with Surtain, are the key building blocks on what has been a great Broncos defense this season. Allen’s play is at the level, and it's time for NFL observers to start building the campaign that he deserves to be the Broncos' next All-Pro player. 

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