Tag: Dondrea Tillman

Broncos signing UFL star Dondrea Tillman to 3-year, $2.84M contract

The Broncos are set to sign Birmingham Stallions star Dondrea Tillman to a 3-year, $2.84 million contract. He dominated the UFL this spring.

Dondrea Tillman’s amazing football journey continues.

The Denver Broncos are signing the Birmingham Stallions defensive lineman to a three-year, $2.84 million contract, according to KPRC-TV’s Aaron Wilson. Tillman needs to pass a physical and be released from his UFL contract for the deal to become official, but both are viewed as formalities.

After graduating from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2019, Tillman was out of football for two years before a one-season stint in The Spring League with the Conquerors in 2021.

Tillman (6-3, 270 pounds) stood out in The Spring League and was later picked by the Birmingham Stallions in the third round of the 2022 USFL draft. He won two straight USFL titles in Birmingham, and following the USFL-XFL merger, Tillman won a third title in the UFL’s inaugural season this spring.

Tillman was the UFL’s highest-graded defender by Pro Football Focus in 2024 (93.6). PFF credited him with 54 tackles, five sacks, eight quarterback hits, 21 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 41 QB hurries.

Tillman is a bit of a tweener — he’s at least 15 pounds lighter than defensive ends Zach Allen and John Franklin-Myers but 30 pounds heavier than outside linebackers Baron Browning and Nik Bonitto. If he’s going to play as an OLB in Denver’s base 3-4 defense, the Broncos will likely ask him to lose some weight.

Denver will need to make a corresponding move to make room for Tillman on the 90-man offseason roster. The 26-year-old defender will report for training camp next month.

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Broncos expected to sign UFL defensive lineman Dondrea Tillman

The Broncos are expected to sign DL Dondrea Tillman. He totaled 92 tackles and 8.5 sacks and won three championships with the Stallions.

Story update: Dondrea Tillman will arrive in Denver in the late afternoon/early evening on Tuesday and will work out for the team and take a physical exam on Wednesday, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. See our original post below. 

The Denver Broncos are bringing in Birmingham Stallions defensive lineman Dondrea Tillman for a workout on Tuesday and the 26-year-old defender is “expected to sign,” according to KPRC-TV’s Aaron Wilson.

Wilson later tweeted late Monday evening that Tillman’s signing will become official on Tuesday. Denver will have to make a corresponding move to make room for Tillman on the 90-man offseason roster.

Tillman (6-3, 270 pounds) played one season in The Spring League in 2021 after graduating from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2019. He was drafted by the Stallions in the third round of the 2022 USFL draft.

Tillman spent the last three years in Birmingham, winning three straight championships. Following the merger of the USFL and XFL, Tillman totaled 26 tackles and three sacks in the newly-formed UFL this spring. He recorded 92 tackles and 8.5 sacks over the last three seasons.

Tillman will join a defensive line room in Denver that already features Zach Allen, John Franklin-Myers, D.J. Jones and Malcolm Roach.

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