Broncos’ Dondrea Tillman was a ‘big plus’ for defense

Vance Joseph was honest. When Dondrea Tillman arrived at Broncos training camp in July, the defensive coordinator didn’t know what to expect from the 26-year-old outside linebacker the team had signed from the United Football League.

Tillman, standing 6-foot-3 and 270 pounds, has all the physical attributes a team would look for in a passer. But Joseph wasn’t sure what his role would be in Denver’s defense. Denver had drafted Jonah Elliss in the third round while Baron Browning was still on the roster.

“I knew he was a big guy who could run,” Joseph said.

Like most Denver defensive players, there’s a chip on Tillman’s shoulder – hardened by years of being forgotten during his football career.

The Broncos’ defense consists of 11 players drafted on the third day of the NFL Draft, as well as seven undrafted free agents. Everyone has their own underdog story. Tillman’s is a winding path to the NFL. Having received no Division I offers out of high school, he played at Indiana University of Pennsylvania – a Division II school – for four seasons before launching his professional career with the Birmingham Stallions, the one of the eight teams in the UFL.

Once he signed with the Broncos, Tillman used the trip as motivation to carve out a role for himself. Eleven games into his NFL career, he proved to be a consistent presence among Denver’s front seven, totaling five sacks and 22 tackles. That’s a level of production the Broncos coaching staff didn’t anticipate.

“He’s definitely been a big plus,” head coach Sean Payton said. “He gave us physicality. He works hard and he works at it. When you can have a player like that, maybe you weren’t counting on him, it’s a good sign.

IUP coach Paul Tortorella always knew Tillman was destined for big things. When Tortorella recruited Tillman out of Potomac Falls High School in Sterling, Va., he saw someone with the body type of a Division I athlete — but raw.

Tortorella added Tillman to his program in hopes that he would become a solid player within two or three years of his college career.

He was right.

As a sophomore, Tillman recorded 8.5 sacks and 51 tackles. During his junior season in 2018, his sack total increased to 12.5. In 48 career games at IUP, Tillman had 30 sacks, 174 tackles and seven forced fumbles.

“I kept saying I couldn’t believe someone didn’t offer him in Division I,” Tortorella told the Denver Post. “He was very coachable. His football IQ has improved significantly.

In March 2022, the Stallions drafted Tillman in the supplemental third round of the USFL draft. (The league became the UFL in 2024 after merging with the XFL.)

During Tillman’s third season with the Stallions, he recorded 27 tackles and 3.5 sacks and helped them defeat the San Antonio Brahmas in the UFL Championship Game. Tillman had three tackles and an assist in the win.

Tillman told the Post he wanted to join the NFL in previous years, but didn’t have good representation to help him navigate the process. He said he found a new agent and felt things were starting to work in his favor.

In June, Tillman signed with the Broncos — the only team to contact him over the summer, he said.

“It’s like a baseball guy having a great career in the minor leagues and finally getting his chance,” Tortorella said.

Tillman flashed during training camp, but was waived during roster cuts in late August before signing to the practice squad.

When right tackle Mike McGlinchey was placed on injured reserve, Tillman was promoted to the active roster and immediately took advantage of the opportunity. In his season debut against Tampa Bay in Week 3, Tillman recorded two sacks in the 26-7 road victory. He is one of four Bronco players to record at least two sacks in a game this season.

In 133 assists, Tillman has 20 pressures and a pressure rate of 15%, according to Next Gen Stats.

“You have kids who can rush the passer (but) can’t finish. (Tillman) is a finisher,” Joseph said.

Joseph called Tillman the Broncos’ “perfect fourth” outside linebacker this season. Denver’s frontcourt, featuring Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Elliss and Tillman making their first Pro Bowl appearances, was instrumental in the team’s effort to set the franchise record for most sacks in one season with 58.

They are also first in the league in pressures (255) and third in pressure rate (37.2%) entering the final week of the regular season.

Tillman’s impact on the league’s best passing unit didn’t surprise him. He always believed he belonged in the NFL. He just needed an opportunity.

“I knew what my soul was telling me. I just had to work for it,” Tillman said. “I’m good enough to play here.”

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Originally published: January 3, 2025 at 10:40 a.m. MST