Cody Barton’s big performance against New Orleans was six days ago now. It’s never too late to be celebrated, though. The Broncos inside linebacker on Wednesday was named the AFC’s defensive player of the week for Week 7 after he dominated against the Saints last Thursday. Barton, signed in March to a one-year deal as a free agent, returned a Spencer Rattler fumble 52 yards for a touchdown in Denver’s 33-10 win. He also forced a fumble early in the game, logged eight tackles and a sack, and nearly had an interception against Rattler, too. All that, and he nearly had another defensive touchdown except a fumble return for a score was wiped off the board by a D.J. Jones offsides penalty. “It’s an honor getting that award,” Barton said Wednesday. “It makes me feel good, but it also makes me happy for my teammates. There’s a lot of plays I couldn’t have made — the touchdown at the end — if my teammates aren’t in the backfield making plays.” Related Articles Denver Broncos | Broncos Mailbag: How much is rookie QB Bo Nix’s footwork a cause for concern going forward? Denver Broncos | Keeler: Comparing Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix to Russell Wilson at 35 isn’t just unfair. It’s asinine. Denver Broncos | Broncos return from long weekend as big favorites over Panthers: “There’s still a lot of things we have to be better at” Denver Broncos | Broncos CB Tremon Smith has played major role in Denver’s success on special teams: “He’s been real productive” Denver Broncos | Broncos Journal: Has OLB Jonathon Cooper made himself a candidate for contract extension? It’s the first time in his six-year career that Barton has been named a conference defensive player of the week, but this has become something of a regular happening for the Broncos. It was just two weeks ago that Pat Surtain II was given the same honor for Week 5 after his two-interception game in the Broncos’ win over Las Vegas. Place kicker Wil Lutz was named the AFC’s special teams player of the week in Week 3 and had a claim at the award this week, too, after he made all four of his field goal tries and all three extra points against the Saints. It’s the first time the Broncos have had two weekly defensive winners in the same season since 2019 when Dre’Mont Jones and Kareem Jackson were both recognized. Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.