The Smiling Assassin knows better than most: Hard-hitting safeties know no half-motions.
That’s why Steve Atwater, the Hall of Fame safety who missed just five games in his 10-year Broncos tenure, isn’t expecting to see Talanoa Hufanga change his game despite coming off consecutive injury-marred seasons.
Hufanga, who signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the Broncos in March, was brought in to provide punch on the back end of the defense — and that’s what he’s determined to deliver.
“The effort (Hufanga) gives, the aggressiveness he has and how he can come up and hit people makes him a great addition to the defense,” Atwater observed. “I hope he stays healthy throughout the year, because he’s got a ton of playmaking ability.
“… He’s not only interested in being exceptional in coverage, but also being involved in the run game. That’s what you have to have out of your safety play. Because (past injuries) or not, you’ve got to lay it out on the line. That’s what I did. I played as hard as I could, every play. There’s no other way to play the position.”
Hufanga and returning starter Brandon Jones give the Broncos a pair of veteran safeties who are more than familiar with the requirements of the job.
P.J. Locke, who had spinal-fusion surgery in the offseason but is a full-go at training camp, should also figure in the rotation. But the chemistry between Hufanga and Jones, who both had the same college defensive backs coach in Todd Orlando at USC and Texas, respectively, will be most important to elevating the play of the Broncos’ safeties this fall.
Jones noted that the duo already has built “a lot of faith and trust in each other.”
“We can do a lot of different things, whatever is asked of us,” Jones said last month. “We can just have a lot of freedom and feel comfortable with whoever goes down (to the ball) in certain situations.”
Jones posted career highs in tackles (115), interceptions (three) and passes defensed (10) last season in helping push the Broncos to their first playoff appearance in nine years. He and Hufanga started to build a rapport together immediately upon the latter’s arrival in Denver.
“The cool thing about it is the first week I got here, he’s like, ‘Hey, do you want to get work in?’” Hufanga recalled. “And there was no hesitation. (Jones) wasn’t like, ‘Hey, you’re on this by yourself.’ He’s like, ‘No, we’re all in this together.’ So it was really cool to see him, a veteran like that, step up to lead another vet in the right way.”
The key for Hufanga is finding a way to stay on the field — because when he does, he’s productive.
After San Francisco drafted him in the fifth round out of USC in 2021, Hufanga was a first-team All-Pro for the 49ers in ’22, his first full season as a starter. He was a machine that fall while starting every game, tallying 97 tackles (66 solo), two forced fumbles and nine passes defensed. He also had a couple of sacks and four interceptions, one of which was a pick-six.
But that momentum was derailed in ’23 when he tore an ACL in Week 11. Then a wrist injury limited him last year. Over the past two seasons, he played only 17 games. But even with that, the Broncos saw him as a priority free agent in the offseason — a player who could be an enforcer alongside Jones, and add depth to a safety corps that showed cracks at times last season.
For his part, Hufanga is taking Atwater’s mindset. The 26-year-old’s intent on putting his injuries behind him and bringing shades of his standout ’22 campaign into his first season in Denver.
“It’s the same physical play for me,” Hufanga said. “(Considering the injuries), I’ve got to take care of the body even more and have no regrets in everything I do. I go out there to play the game the right way, and that’s playing fast and playing physical.
“Injuries happen, that’s part of the game. For me, I’m just going to step on that field and have confidence that I can play the game I play.”
While Hufanga is still acclimating to his first season in Vance Joseph’s scheme, the defensive coordinator said in June that he plans on “(adjusting) our system to our better players.” Hufanga falls into that category.
“I know what he is as a player — he’s a guy with great instincts. He’s a guy that’s going to chase and tackle the football for us,” Joseph said. “So I won’t give him jobs where he’s too tied up with nonsense, right? I want him to find the ball and do what he does best.”
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.
