Report: Broncos Starting LB to Miss Time After Breaking Thumb

Denver Broncos starting inside linebacker Alex Singleton is expected to miss roughly the next week of training camp after suffering a broken thumb during Monday's practice, 9NEWS' Mike Klis reported.

"Should only miss 7-8 days before he can club it up and get back out there. Good news is human tackling machine won’t miss any regular-season game time," said Klis.

Per The DNVR's Zac Stevens, Singleton will undergo surgery in Los Angeles on Tuesday and should "be back full go for the Broncos-49ers joint practice a week from Thursday."

A defensive captain and the team's leading tackler, Singleton is less than 11 months removed from sustaining a torn ACL that prematurely ended his third campaign in orange and blue. He had his knee repaired over the offseason and was running without limitation amid the early stages of camp.

Earlier Monday, Broncos head coach Sean Payton spoke of how well Singleton complements prized free-agent addition, ILB Dre Greenlaw.

"Alex is in the Mike position. Dre is in more that weakside Mo or Will. A little bit more run and hit for Greenlaw. I think they both have an understanding… They’re both smart players," Payton told the assembled media. "To have Alex back healthy is big. Then with the experience of Dre, if we can stay healthy they’re pretty formidable.”

Sporting a club for the foreseeable future, Singleton will soon return to his starting assignment opposite Greenlaw. But the Broncos may now be a little cautious with Greenlaw coming from back Achilles' and quadriceps issues and after ILB Drew Sanders picked up a foot malady, sidelining him "north of four to six weeks."

“It just changes short-term. I’m saying four to six, seven, eight weeks. We’ll look at that position closely and understand the reps and how we have to approach it," Payton said.

In the interim, expect Denver to lean more heavily on the depth at the off-ball spot — particularly second-year former undrafted free agent Levelle Bailey, who's impressed the coaching staff this summer.

“A couple of days ago, he had a real good practice. He’s doing well," Payton said.