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Broncos nickel Ja’Quan McMillian set on expanding game after breakout 2023 campaign

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Broncos nickel Ja’Quan McMillian set on expanding game after breakout 2023 campaign


Ja’Quan McMillian had to wait his turn in 2023.

First, the Broncos nickel job belonged to K’Waun Williams. A camp injury cost him what at first looked like weeks and turned into the entire season.

Then it belonged to Essang Bassey. But poor performance in the early weeks of the season opened the door again.

Then McMillian burst through like the Kool-Aid Man, pint-sized rather than the full pitcher, but with the kind of energy and impact that helped jolt Denver’s defense out of the doldrums and into a playmaking group.

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Now this summer McMillian’s roster spot is secure, and he’s being counted on to produce as a linchpin in Vance Joseph’s defense.

He’s not planning on any sort of regression.

“Just taking the next step,” he told The Denver Post of his plans for Year 2 as a starter. “Just doing whatever they need me to do. Whatever that is, I’m willing to do it. Just improve from last year. Not make the same mistakes I made last year, try to take that next step mentally and try to anticipate more based off what the offense is giving me and use that information that it gives me. Play the same way I played. The mentality is still the same.

“Play hard, play physical and play smart football. That’s what I go by.”

McMillian got thrust into playing time Week 4 against Chicago and played well almost immediately. He racked up seven tackles for loss, a pair of sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries and seemed to make a big play every week of Denver’s five-game, turnover-fueled winning streak in the middle of the season.

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It happened fast and McMillian kept up fine, but he felt he had some retroactive work to do after the season ended, too.

“That’s what it’s for. The offseason, you go and you take your little break, but what I did early on was just watch a lot of film,” he said. “I watched a lot of games that I played in last year. Just tried to see a lot of different things that I can improve on. Just take that next step mentally. It is easier. You have more time to do that. So any time I got bored at the house I’d pull out the iPad and start watching film.”

He saw a lot of production from himself. Three tackles for loss against Kansas City in Week 6, then two more TFLs and a pick two weeks later against the Chiefs. A forced fumble in that Week 10 Monday night win at Buffalo. Two more turnovers forced against Minnesota. A forced fumble and a sack against Houston. Two more TFLs and a sack against the Chargers.

That’s all well and good, but he got as much out of watching seemingly much more monotonous practice tape.

“In practice, you use all your tools and you try different things and you just get to work on it,” he said. “Practice film is just as important to watch as the game film because it’s where you try stuff. You might try something in practice that you can’t try in a game because you can’t give something up or take that risk.

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“I’ve watched a lot of both, and both have done me good.”

He’s impressed the coaching staff thoroughly along the way.

Denver Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian (29) swats the ball away from Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Easton Stick (2) in the second quarter at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. McMillian picked up the ball on the play and ran into the end zone, but the play was called back and ruled an incomplete forward pass. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)

“He is extremely smart,” head coach Sean Payton said. “I kind of felt like he’s one of those players that kind of took a step into his own last year, created a lot of turnovers. He has really good football instincts, and I think that is a trait that’s very important because there are a lot of adjustments that take place for that player when the motion goes or leaves. His fits in the run game are different than maybe the corners or even the safeties sometimes.

“So you’re looking for someone who has high football IQ and good (change of direction), someone that can tackle. And of course, you’re going to play man-to-man, so how does he hold up when he’s covering up in the slot? All of those things.”

McMillian did them all well in 2023 and is planning on being better across the board in 2024.

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“I went into the offseason doing the same thing, with the same mentality. I just want to take the next step mentally,” he said. “Going into the playbook deeper and knowing the ins and outs of the defense. Obviously, I knew a little bit last year but I just wanted to go deeper into the playbook. Just get faster, bigger, stronger.”


Most TFLs by Broncos DB (single season)

Ja’Quan McMillian made an instant impact when he was inserted into the lineup last season, including a knack for racking up tackles for loss. Here’s a look at how his season stacks up to other Broncos defensive backs. Mobile users, tap here to see the chart.

Year Player TFLs Games played Games started
2023 Ja’Quan McMillian 7 16 3
2014 T.J. Ward 6 15 15
2009 Brian Dawkins 6 16 16
2014 Chris Harris 5 16 16
2014 Bradley Roby 5 16 2
2013 Chris Harris 5 16 15
2011 Brian Dawkins 5 14 12

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Denver, CO

Denver man gets 48 years in prison for murder of teen in 2022

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Denver man gets 48 years in prison for murder of teen in 2022


A Denver man was sentenced Friday to 48 years in prison for the murder of a 14-year-old boy in 2022, according to court records.

Denver District Court Judge Karen Brody sentenced Diego Lopez, 19, on Friday to 48 years in prison, with a credit of two years and 293 days for time served, court records show.

Lopez was 16 years old when he shot Josiaz “JoJo” Aragon in the back and then pistol-whipped, beat and stabbed the 14-year-old. Aragon was days away from celebrating his 15th birthday.

Lopez was also ordered to pay $10,000 to Aragon’s family during Friday’s sentencing hearing, according to court records.

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Aragon’s body was found at a baseball field near Denver’s Southwest Recreation Center on Aug. 8, 2022.

The two teenagers knew each other from school and had met at the baseball field for a gun sale, police said. Lopez shot Aragon in the back after they made the deal.



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Denver, CO

Coloradan participating in this weekend’s Donor Dash in Denver says transplantation changed his life: ‘It saved me’

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Coloradan participating in this weekend’s Donor Dash in Denver says transplantation changed his life: ‘It saved me’


The 26th annual Donor Dash takes place this weekend in Denver, and among the participants will be a Coloradan whose life was changed drastically by transplantation.

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A dozen years ago Doug French, 74, was struggling with burning eyes and swelling. He was living with hepatitis C.

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CBS Colorado’s Michael Spencer interviews Doug French.

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“It didn’t stop me, but it surely slowed me down,” he said.

While he was holding out hope the newer treatments would assist with his situation, French went to meet with the hepatologist.

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“He said, ‘If you don’t get a transplant, you won’t survive.’ And I went, ‘Oh, I see. I got this.’ That changed everything.”

French was living in Colorado at the time and was put on a transplant list in Oregon. So he and his wife moved temporarily to Portland and lived in a hotel for four months before he got the call they were hoping for. A recently deceased organ donor had a liver that was a match.

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Doug French


“Waking up from that transplant was a miracle. For the first time in years, my eyes weren’t burning from hepatitis C,” French said.

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French recently celebrated 10 years since receiving his new organ, and with his body functioning at a higher level, he has lost 110 pounds.

He has always been an avid scuba diver, and in addition to making it easier for him to do one of his favorite hobbies, his new liver has allowed him to take other activity levels to new lengths. He completed his first half marathon in April. That was something he wasn’t even thinking about prior to his transplant.

“Was it even on the back of your mind: ‘One day I’m going to do a half marathon?’” CBS Colorado’s Michael Spencer asked French.

“Oh no, no, no,” said French, who jogged with his nephew-in-law. “During that particular time, I kind of like draw a blank about my life and about my future. I had no idea what was next. It saved me. And I’ve I can’t say enough about how grateful I am,” he said.

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Doug French


The Donor Dash takes place on Sunday at Washington Park. CBS Colorado is a sponsor of the event and Spencer serve as the emcee of the event. Find out how you can register for the event or help the Donor Alliance at donoralliance.org/donor-dash/.

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Denver, CO

Mayors of Denver and Aurora discuss a possible truce as they face growing economic challenges

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Mayors of Denver and Aurora discuss a possible truce as they face growing economic challenges


The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce held its State of the Cities event Wednesday, just days after releasing a new report that shows a slowing economy in Colorado. 

The report, by economists at the Chamber and Boulder Leeds School of Business, finds unemployment and foreclosures are up year over year while consumer confidence and home sales are down. The one bright spot is jobs, which are up .1%.

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The mayors of Denver, Aurora and Northglenn say they are feeling the shift.

“Our sales tax in Northglenn is down,” said Northglenn Mayor Meredith Leighty. “In May, we’re looking at a decrease of 2%.”

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The mayors assured the Chamber’s small business owners they were doing what they could to help. They say the lack of affordable housing is among their biggest challenges.

“Right now, the cost of materials is going up, the cost of land is going up, and the cost of labor is going up,” said Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.

He says the city is giving tax breaks for middle income housing projects. Northglenn just opened a new townhome complex and senior living facility.

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Coffman says he’s focused on redeveloping 30 blocks of Colfax Avenue.

“Transitioning back from retail over to multi-family residential — a mix of market-rate housing and affordable workforce housing.”

Economists at the Denver Metro Chamber say while Colorado ranked among the top states in real GDP, employment, income growth, and home price appreciation from 2008 to 2023, it ranked among the bottom 10 states in 2024.

If a cooling economy isn’t troubling enough, an icy relationship between Coffman and Johnston is complicating things further.

Johnston shrugged off the year-long standoff.

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“There is no distrust, is no damage. My door is always open,” he said.

Coffman vehemently disagreed.

“There is an issue and there is distrust,” he said.

Aurora sued Denver saying it violated their mutual aid agreement during the George Floyd protests and then sent gang-affiliated migrants to Aurora.

Your Political Reporter Shaun Boyd, who moderated the event, ask the mayors what it would take to bury the hatchet. One suggested quarterly meetings that include the mayors and their top staff. The other agreed.

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The Chamber’s State of the Cities event included more than 400 business and community leaders and focused on collaboration — not only between cities but between local government and the business community.

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