Denver Broncos potential surprise cuts at every position group in 2022

Denver Broncos potential surprise cut at LB: Justin Strnad

During his rookie training camp back in 2020, it looked like Justin Strnad was about to seize a role as the “nickel” linebacker for Vic Fangio’s defense.

An injury caused him to miss the entire 2020 season, and expectations remained rather high from fans in 2021.

After injuries to both Josey Jewell and Alexander Johnson, a lot of fans really expected Strnad to seize a full-time starting role in this defense for 2021 and beyond.

That did not happen.

Strnad played in 16 of the 17 regular season games for the Broncos in 2021, but was replaced in the starting lineup essentially as soon as the Broncos could figure out a way to do it.

He struggled to come off blocks in the running game and the Broncos had some of their worst performances against the run as a defensive unit with Strnad in the lineup.

It was clear that in his redshirt rookie season, more seasoning was needed for the former Wake Forest star.

Now, entering year three, Strnad has an opportunity to go one of two directions. He could cement himself as a consistent presence at the linebacker position for the team with a role on special teams, or he could end up a roster casualty.

The Broncos don’t have a ton of proven depth at linebacker right now, which is why it would be rather surprising to see Strnad cut unless Denver brings another veteran into the fold.