Broncos LB With ‘Pro Bowl Upside’ Headed Toward Position Battle

The opportunity is here for Denver Broncos linebacker Drew Sanders — now it’s on him to take advantage of it.

With presumed starters at inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton both recovering from serious injuries and likely to miss most, if not all, of the Broncos’ preseason training regimen including the start of OTAs this week, it’s Sanders who has the most to gain now that he’s healthy and back in the fold.

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.

“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 Vance Joseph. He could be in line for his most consistent string of reps since arriving in Denver.”

CFP National Title, All-American Honors in College

Sanders, 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, was a 5-star recruit out of Denton, Texas, and played 2 seasons at the University of Alabama. He won a College Football Playoff National Championship playing on special teams as a freshman then became a starter as a sophomore in 2021.

He transferred to Arkansas for his third and final college football seasons, earning All-American and All-SEC honors in 2022 with 103 tackles and 9.5 sacks. Sanders cemented his draft stock by running the 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, along with a 37-inch vertical leap.

“(Sanders) plays with good technique in take-ons and has plenty of pursuit range, but he’s still finding his footing with his run fits and tackle consistency,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in 2023. “He’s a tough out for interior protection as a blitzing linebacker and has natural rush talent to hunt quarterbacks off the edge. Sanders’ athletic gifts, versatility and toughness could help him become a highly impactful playmaker with Pro Bowl upside.”

Greenlaw, Singleton Both Dealing With Injuries

While Sanders could be a great spot starter in 2025 if he’s right, the impetus for the Broncos is on getting Greenlaw and Singleton healthy. That combination in the starting lineup would be the key to the Broncos having one of the NFL’s best defenses again in 2025.

Greenlaw famously tore his Achilles tendon running onto the field during Super Bowl LVIII in February 2024 while playing for the San Francisco 49ers. Greenlaw returned to play 2 games during the 2024 regular season but wasn’t the same player.

The Broncos signed Greenlaw to a 3-year, $31.5 million contract on March 10 with hopes he can anchor the middle of the defense but a mysterious offseason quad injury promises to see him miss significant time.

Singleton tore his ACL in a Week 3 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the third play, but somehow played the remainder of the game. He might actually be the healthiest of the 3 linebackers at this point and told DNVR’s Zac Stevens he was on track to return for the Broncos’ 2025 season opener.