With the news that Baron Browning is going to get a shot at EDGE, who is going to start next to Josey Jewell for Denver Broncos in 2022?
Broncos Country’s very own Mike Klis dropped a slight bombshell yesterday in a tweet where he said the Denver Broncos are going to try Baron Browning off the EDGE for 2022, which is perhaps the reason why the team signed Alex Singleton and brought back Jonas Griffith.
While I don’t think this is an awful idea since Baron Browning matches very very close athletically with Von Miller, the team now has a bit of a hole at the other inside linebacker spot.
Josey Jewell is solid and is going to continue to play well for the Denver Broncos.
However, who is going to start next to him?
Alex Singleton is not a good linebacker. Singleton started at linebacker the past two seasons for the Eagles and accumulated 257 total tackles. His PFF grades are less than stellar, though, and there’s a reason why he only signed for a hair over $1 million with the Broncos.
He is not good against the pass and is poor against the run.
In an ideal world, Singleton plays sparingly on defense and logs most of his snaps on special teams.
The other option to start for the Denver Broncos next to Josey Jewell is Jonas Griffith, who was a special teamer with the 49ers before being traded to Denver, where he got to show his insane athleticism and quickness. Maybe he’s not quite ready yet, but he showed some promise, and I think he has a real shot at starting.
However, he’s seen limited action, and I think there are better options to consider elsewhere.
Who else is out there?
Well, Denver could bring back Alexander Johnson, one of the better linebackers in the NFL and a running mate of Jewell’s. In our slack channel here at Predominantly Orange, I have been vouching for his return. I think it makes too much sense.
He’s really good at what he does, knows the defense, and knows his running mate well.
If Denver wants to not bring him back, they could consider Anthony Barr, the longtime linebacker from the Vikings, where General Manager George Paton spent a ton of time.
Bobby Wagner is another name to consider. The Denver Broncos just acquired his buddy in Russell Wilson, and I’m sure Wilson has been in contact with Wagner. He’s a future Hall of Fame linebacker and would slide in nicely in the defense.
Looking at the current free agent pool, there aren’t a ton of big-name players. In fact, the linebacker market has been pretty quiet this offseason.
Denver could consider Kwon Alexander, former Bronco Danny Trevathan, Jayon Brown, or Jarrad Davis.
There are a number of routes Denver could take here, but I think they need to act quickly in free agency, since their first pick in the NFL draft is not until pick 64, so it’s unlikely they can find an immediate impact player at the position.
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I think the route that makes the most sense is keeping the continuity on defense and re-signing Alexander Johnson to pair with Jewell for another year, and perhaps taking someone at linebacker in the NFL draft.