Turnovers come in bunches, but turnover is the only true constant in the NFL.

The Broncos defense has learned both lessons in recent years.

Their 18-takeaway bonanza fueled a five-game winning streak in 2023. But the constant churn of coaches and personnel also played a part in the group’s hideous start to the fall. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s group was so bad early on that the mid-season rally only got the club back into contention rather than firmly into the playoffs.

The unit’s turnover this offseason is modest in comparison to recent years mostly because Joseph is back for a second year. Still, there’s plenty of new ground to cover.

The Broncos could have up to five new starters and several new role players. The middle of their defense will look different at all three levels.

It’s instructive on the level to which this group has been in tumult that inside linebacker Alex Singleton will have a new partner next to him and new safeties (mostly) behind and yet he raved about how nice this offseason has been on the continuity front.

Joseph struck a similar tone at the end of minicamp earlier this month.

“We’ve got some new guys playing, so it takes the spring and the (summer) to kind of get caught up from the previous year,” he said. “Every year the defense kind of changes. It’s based on the players. It’s always players first and scheme second. But it’s good to be in the same scheme two years in a row.”

There are several questions to answer in training camp, but here are three takeaways from the defense’s offseason.

Riley Moss looks good in the CB competition… so far

It’s not so much that Damarri Mathis or veteran Levi Wallace played poorly this summer, but rather that Moss impressed. Head coach Sean Payton, Joseph and others raved about Moss’ length. He’s got speed and athleticism, too.

Moss might have made a bigger impact as a rookie had he not had to have core surgery that cost him most of training camp. A fully healthy camp this August and he’ll be tough to unseat for the starting role opposite Pat Surtain II.

There’s one note of caution all around from secondary coach Jim Leonhard from the end of minicamp, which gives an idea of Leonhard’s approach.

“We’ve got a hungry group that’s young, they know there’s plenty of opportunities on the field as far as what the roles could be,” he said. “There’s a lot of guys that had a big offseason.”

But…

“It’s easy right now,” Leonhard continued. “There’s no consequences. You get closer to the season, into training camp and you start playing preseason games, and that pressure starts to ratchet up a little bit. Then you truly see what these guys are about.”

OLBs know it’s time to prove it — and cash in

Payton has repeatedly insisted that 2023 wasn’t a youth movement at outside linebacker. The team just jettisoned a pair of underperforming veterans in Randy Gregory and Frank Clark and turned the reins over to several young players.

Whatever you call it, the combination of Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper and Baron Browning stepped up and showed they could hang playing full-time. Now they’ve got to show they can excel.

Browning is healthy. This time last year he was rehabbing a meniscus tear that cost him the first six games of the year. Bonitto has drawn high marks this offseason as he gears up for Year 3, and Cooper is steady. Not only that but Browning and Cooper are entering the final seasons of their rookie deals.

This group is critical to Joseph’s defense overall and should be motivated. They’ve got a chance to cash in big in more ways than one.

DL Malcolm Roach is a glue guy

The offseason program starts as a get-to-know-ya and by the time the team breaks for summer, the goal is that everyone’s close.

Well, it didn’t take long for Roach, one of Denver’s offseason defensive line additions, to get familiar.

The free agent addition from New Orleans is active, loud (”He’s a big energy guy,” Zach Allen said diplomatically) and will play a critical role on the field and in the locker room.

On early downs, his job is to help the Broncos be a lot better against the run than they were in 2023 when they finished 30th.

Off the field, Payton referred to him as a binding agent.

“He’s a really good teammate and someone who can play multiple positions,” Payton said. “He’s a guy that appreciates every day, and his teammates quickly — I talked to a few of the other guys that have been here — and very quickly he acclimated himself. I would say he endears himself to his teammates and I think that’s a good trait.”