John Franklin-Myers projected to leave Broncos for another AFC contender

The Denver Broncos will be on the hunt for some impactful free agents when the 2026 NFL league year begins on March 11. But they will also have to weigh those options against their own free agents. 

One of those players is defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers. After coming to the Broncos via trade during the 2024 NFL Draft, Franklin-Myers has been a key cog on what has been a tremendous defensive unit. But most expect that the Broncos will lose the veteran in free agency. 

Franklin-Myers should have several potential suitors looking to add him to a new deal this spring and Jared Dubin of CBS Sports believes that he should be the No. 1 priority of the Houston Texans. 

"The Texans have built their defense on having an electric defensive front, but some of their interior guys are set to hit free agency this offseason. The offensive line probably needs to be upgraded more than any individual unit, but they could use the draft to do that and bring in JFM as a complement to their premier edge rushers", wrote Dubin. 

The Broncos had a great defense in 2025, but the Texans' was even better. This could be an attractive potential landing spot for Franklin-Myers. 

Traded to the Broncos for a sixth-round pick, JFM missed just one game over the last two seasons and registered 14.5 sacks. The Broncos would love to keep him on a new deal, but there is only so much money to go around. They also traded back into the third round of last year's draft and selected LSU defensive end Sai'vion Jones, seen immediately as a replacement for him. 

The Texans already have arguably the league's best pass-rushing duo with Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter. Adding Franklin-Myers to that mix would make the defensive front even scarier. 

MORE: Reliving the game-changing play in each of the Broncos' Super Bowl appearances

Franklin-Myers will work with his agent to find the best deal possible, but it's expected that the deal will come from another team. 

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