Denver Broncos: 5 players soaring up depth chart after Vikings win
5. Justin Strnad, LB
The Denver Broncos’ inside linebacker position has been such an intriguing topic since Vic Fangio has been brought on as the head coach.
The team nearly used the 10th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Michigan’s Devin Bush before trading that chance to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Broncos also nearly traded up in the 2020 NFL Draft to take LSU linebacker Patrick Queen.
They finally drafted a stellar talent at linebacker in Baron Browning this past offseason, but the team seems relatively comfortable with the incumbent starters Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell.
Jewell has been out for a good chunk of camp nursing a groin injury, but he’s finally worked his way back.
Since he’s been out, Justin Strnad has been making his case to start sooner rather than later.
Strnad looked really good against the Vikings in preseason action, and the more training camp and the preseason roll along, you can’t help but wonder whether the team might like Strnad over one of Jewell or Johnson.
Both Jewell and Johnson are slated for free agency in 2022, and the Broncos might just prefer to get on with the future if Strnad is ready. What would be the point of wasting another year of his development if he’s ready when you already had to put him on IR in 2020?
There is a case to be made that Strnad has become a viable option to start for the Denver Broncos’ defense this offseason, which could lead to one of Johnson or Jewell being a casualty at some point.