Broncos' ILB Pecking Order Taking Shape After Eventful Offseason

Late last season, Denver Broncos linebacker Drew Sanders returned to the field after spending most of it on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. He was active for the Broncos' final four games, though he made no starts, as well as their playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills.

What was conspicuous about Sanders' showing in 2024 was not only that he was actually healthy and available (that was a novelty to write home about), but that he was also no longer being deployed at rush linebacker. Sanders was back at inside linebacker — the position he was drafted to play.

The Broncos asked Sanders to switch to edge in between Year 1 and 2, but then he suffered an Achilles injury right in the middle of it, and during the offseason. Meanwhile, multiple young rush linebackers emerged while Sanders was healing on the PUP list, including Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, and the backups Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman.

Thus, Sanders was no longer needed on the edge. But Denver's depth at inside linebacker? Yes, it could use some bolstering.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton revealed earlier this offseason that Sanders had officially moved back to the inside and that he would stay there. We also learned from both Payton and GM George Paton that the Broncos still fully believe that their former third-round pick out of Arkansas is a future starter.

Payton confirmed during mandatory minicamp that all of Sanders' snaps have been on the inside.

"Drew, getting that work constantly inside, I think, is extremely helpful," Payton said on June 12.

No man can serve two masters, so asking Sanders to switch positions so early in his career, only to switch back, has, of course, delayed his development, along with the injury bug. But when the offseason training program began, Payton assured fans that the vision for Sanders is "clear."

“No, the vision is clear. Inside linebacker. We think he’s a pressure player," Payton said on May 29. "So obviously, there’s ways where you can pressure that guy from a stacked position, or to an outside position. He’s doing well handling it.”

In other words, although Sanders will be playing inside linebacker, he'll be used as an ace up Vance Joseph's sleeve as a "pressure player," a pass rusher the Broncos can send from various places — and we know how much Denver's defensive coordinator loves to blitz. Sanders has shown a propensity for the pass rush, notching 9.5 sacks in his final year in college despite playing inside linebacker and notching 100-plus tackles, too.

With both of Denver's projected starting inside linebackers this year having a very recent injury history, Sanders could be called upon to play some serious snaps. Even if no injury setbacks befall Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton, expect to see Sanders on the field regularly because the Broncos view him as a weapon.

Behind Greenlaw and Singleton, Denver's next two inside linebackers are Sanders and Justin Strnad, the latter of whom was the team's fifth-round pick in 2020. While Strnad has always been a solid special teams contributor for the Broncos, he didn't emerge as a factor on defense until last season when Singleton went down with an ACL tear.

Essentially a starter from Week 4 on, the early returns on Strnad were encouraging. But as the season wore on, his play recognition and tackling became very inconsistent. Missed tackles were a common woe for Strnad down the stretch, and he relinquished too many big plays.

However, when he hit free agency after the season, the Broncos re-signed him to another one-year deal, and Payton's remarks during mandatory minicamp helped fans understand why Strnad was brought back.

“When you look at the amount of snaps Strnad’s had, all of the sudden, now there’s a confidence," Payton said. "‘I’m not just a guy running down on special teams. I started a whole season.’"

Payton is fond of saying that confidence comes from "demonstrated ability." Strnad most certainly demonstrated to himself that he can play linebacker in this league, his late-season warts notwithstanding.

It's an interesting depth situation. And even though the Broncos have a stalwart player wellness/health record since Payton arrived, there's more reason than not to expect that either Greenlaw or Singleton (or both) will miss time with an injury.