If you’ve been tracking down every little bit of information on the Denver Broncos headed toward the start of training camp, it’s not hard to identify the key to success in 2025 is an already elite defense that only continues to get better.
Even that might not be enough to get the Broncos back in the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2014 and 2015.
The Locked On Broncos podcast identified inside linebacker as the biggest question mark on the roster, where projected starters Alex Singleton and Dre Greenlaw are both coming off serious injuries and the top backup, Drew Sanders, suffered a torn Achilles tendon in April 2024.
Greenlaw is the lone new addition to that group after he signed a 3-year, $31.5 million free agent contract with the Broncos on March 10.
Unfortunately for the Broncos, Greenlaw suffered an undisclosed injury while working out in April and hasn’t been with the team through the offseason. Greenlaw only played 2 games in 2024 after famously tearing his Achilles tendon in Super Bowl LVIII while playing for the San Francisco 49ers.
Singleton is coming off a torn ACL suffered in Week 3 of the 2024 season.
Inside linebacker, running back and tight end were in a dead heat for weakest position group for the Broncos in 2024. After improvements at the other 2 positions in the offseason, the inside linebackers now stand alone as the perceived weakest link.
From Locked On Broncos: “(Greenlaw) is expected to be a full go here for training camp beginning on July 22. Hopefully they can keep him going there and you can avoid a setback at that position in terms of injury … you also talk about another guy, Alex Singleton, while he was present for the team’s offseason program, he just did individual periods for the Broncos. He did not do any team work during the offseason program, but is expected to be ready to go day one (of training camp) to get team reps.”
Strnad, Sanders Took Team Reps After Injuries
Projected backups Justin Strnad and Sanders took all of the first team reps during the offseason with Singleton and Greenlaw sidelined. Out of those 2, Sanders seems like he has the upside to possibly challenge Singleton for his starting spot.
Sanders, a third round pick (No. 67 overall) in the 2023 NFL draft, missed all but 4 games of the 2024 regular season with a torn Achilles tendon suffered in April 2024 after playing all 17 games as a rookie.
Sanders, 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, was an All-American and All-SEC pick at Arkansas in 2022 with 103 tackles and 9.5 sacks then ran the 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds at the NFL scouting combine.
“Drew Sanders is one of Denver’s more intriguing figures this offseason,” The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider wrote on May 27. “The 2023 third-round pick has struggled to find a consistent role through position changes and an offseason injury last year. But he’s healthy and firmly slotted into the inside linebackers group, and he has the athletic talent to be an impactful player at the position for (defensive coordinator) Vance Joseph. He could be in line for his most consistent string of reps since arriving in Denver.”
