The Denver Broncos are staring down the offseason with a gaping hole in the middle of their defense thanks to both of their projected starters at inside linebackers, Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton, recovering from significant injuries.
Greenlaw is dealing with a mysterious quad injury that might keep him out for all of the preseason. Singleton is coming off a torn ACL.
That means there’s room for players to come in and earn spots — albeit as backups who thrive on special teams.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski identified one of those players as former University of Utah linebacker and undrafted free agent Karene Reid, who he called the “most exciting” UDFA prospect on Denver’s roster.
Reid is the son of former NFL linebacker Spencer Reid, who played 3 seasons for the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts in the late 1990s.
The Broncos signed Karene Reid to a 3-year, $2.98 million contract on May 9.
“Maturity can play a large part in earning a roster spot for an undrafted free agent,” Sobleski wrote. “NFL teams and coaching staffs want those who understand what it means to prepare like a professional. Karene Reid is already 25 years old … Reid understands how to play linebacker, with the instincts to keep him around the ball, especially when playing downhill. He does struggle in coverage, though he counters that weakness by being an adept blitzer.”
Karene Reid intercepts true freshman 5⭐️ QB Dante Moore and runs it back for a touchdown to open the game 😮
What a start for Utah 🏈
Injury in Final Season Hurt Reid’s Draft Stock
Reid, 6-foot and 230 pounds, saw his hopes of being a late round draft pick dashed when he missed 4 games with an ankle injury in 2024.
Already a 2-time All-Pac-12 pick for the Utes, Reid’s 54 tackles, 3.0 sacks and 6 TFL were his lowest numbers since his freshman season after earning All-Pac-12 honors in 2022 and 2023.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein had Reid projected as a seventh round pick or a preferred free agent signee in his pre-draft evaluation.
“Undersized linebacker with a revved-up motor and instincts that take him to the action,” Zeirlein wrote. “Reid comes from NFL bloodlines and plays the game with passion. He diagnoses quickly and is focused on getting to where he needs to be, but his lack of size and length will make it hard to leverage his gap as a pro … He saw limited reps on special teams but has the motor and play demeanor for the job.”
Greenlaw, Singleton Should Play in Season Opener
The path to Reid making the roster might involve beating out former fifth round pick Justin Strnad for a roster spot and, like Zierlein pointed out, figuring out a way to show he can make an impact on special teams.
Reid is currently third on the depth chart at one of the inside linebacker spots behind Singleton and Strnad.
If Reid wants some inspiration in making the roster, he just needs to look at Singleton’s path to becoming a full time starter. Singleton went undrafted out of Montana State in 2015 and was cut from 3 different NFL teams and played 3 seasons in the CFL for the Calgary Stampeders before playing his first NFL regular season game for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019.
