The Denver Broncos may have a hidden weapon at outside linebacker heading into the 2026 NFL season.

2025 fourth-round draft pick Que Robinson out of Alabama spent most of his rookie year buried on the depth chart. However, with outside linebacker Jonathan Cooper’s status for the upcoming season in question, Robinson could be in line for a significant role opposite Nik Bonnito in Denver’s pass rush.

Robinson’s path to playing time has been accelerated by circumstances. Cooper has been in the news for all the wrong reasons this offseason, and his availability remains uncertain. That leaves a hole in the Broncos’ edge rusher rotation that the 24-year-old Robinson appears ready to fill.

The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider recently named Robinson as the team’s top breakout candidate for 2026.

“Robinson, a 2025 fourth-round pick out of Alabama, played sparingly as a rookie on Denver’s deep defense, but he made a lasting impression during his appearance in the AFC Championship Game by chasing down Drake Maye and pulling down the Patriots quarterback by the shoulders for a sack. Robinson was already trending toward a bigger role on the edge in Year 2, but that will especially be the case if Jonathon Cooper faces an NFL suspension following two June arrests.”

Robinson flashed in limited 2025 opportunities with the Broncos

Selected in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Robinson found himself behind Bonito, Cooper, Jonah Elliss, and Dondrea Tillman on Denver’s depth chart as a rookie. He appeared in just six regular-season games and one playoff game, totaling 150 snaps in 2025.

The numbers were modest: a half sack, a pass batted, three QB hits, three tackles for loss, and 12 combined tackles. But Robinson made the most of his limited snaps, flashing the explosive pass-rush ability that made him a draft pick in the first place.

The praise from within the Broncos’ building has been notable. Cooper himself had glowing words for Robinson when the 2025 season ended.

“He’s going to be a great player,” Cooper said of Robinson. “He’s going to be a phenomenal player in this league, truthfully. [He] plays hard, he plays the right way. He was a great addition to the room, and I’m excited to see where his career goes.”

Broncos GM George Payton sees Robinson having massive upside

Denver general manager George Paton went even further during his end-of-season press conference, singling Robinson out as perhaps the most promising player from the team’s 2025 draft class.

“Que, he may have the most upside of anyone in our draft class, and you could see it [in the AFC title game],” Paton said. “He’s long, he’s athletic. He can run and is really good in the run game. He’s just learning how to rush, just learning to rush the passer, but has all the traits. Then you see what he does on special teams. We’re really encouraged with him.”

That combination of length, athleticism, and run-game ability fits the profile Denver’s defense demands of its edge rushers. The fact that Paton pointed to Robinson’s AFC Championship Game performance suggests the front office saw enough to believe he can handle high-leverage snaps.

What this means for the Broncos’ defense in 2026

Denver already boasts one of the league’s top defenses, built on a pass rush featuring Bonnito, Elliss, and Tillman. Adding Robinson to that group as a legitimate contributor would give the Broncos even more edge depth, something that matters for a team looking to get back into playoff contention.

With Cooper’s status for the upcoming season in question due to off-field issues, Robinson’s development becomes even more critical for the Broncos. If he has a breakout season, Denver is poised to not miss a beat. If he doesn’t, the team could struggle to find edge-rusher depth to sustain a 17-game season.